“You Die From It”

The joys of NASCAR as a sport is that you just by no means actually retire as a driver – you enhance your expertise and get ready for the subsequent position. The eldest son of Glen Wooden, founding father of Wooden Brother Racing, Eddie Wooden has had a profitable profession within the NASCAR world. Given his years of expertise as a NASCAR Cup Sequence driver together with being a proponent of the Corridor of Fame, Wooden has a legacy that solely few can envision.  

After Eddie Wooden stepped down because the president of the fantastic Wooden Brothers, there have been speculations about whether or not the prodigy is all set to attract a line to his profession. Nonetheless, lately his eldest son and the third technology proprietor of Wooden Brothers, Jon Wooden opened up concerning the sort of relationship Eddie shares with NASCAR.

Eddie Wooden not bidding goodbye to his expertise anytime quickly

Eddie Wooden is presently 71 years younger, an age when most wish to bid adieu to tracks and pursue one thing else for recreation. Nonetheless, given the legacy of the Wooden Brothers, it doesn’t appear that Eddie is one among them. Eddie Wooden has been the face of Wooden Brothers, the oldest working crew in NASCAR for years. Even after he had coronary heart surgical procedure on the age of 65, there was no stopping him.  Though Eddie Wooden is taking a break from the day-to-day actions that can be now seemed upon by Jon, it isn’t a goodbye. Jon himself has a justifiable share of expertise as a driver and he has accounted for greater than 208 races within the nationwide sequence (2001-08).

Describing the sort of ardour that Wooden shares for the observe, Jon stated, “I don’t know now we have traditions. I do know that in case you ask my dad and Len what they’re most pleased with, the dialog will veer in the direction of the museum in Stuart and nothing concerning the race store. As a result of that’s the stuff they’re essentially the most pleased with. Not current-day racing. Though they dwell for that and other people will ask like have they got plans like retiring. NASCAR isn’t a enterprise you retire. You die from it. You’re in it otherwise you get run out – one or the opposite. It’s not one thing you simply say, nicely I’m drained and I’m gonna go begin fishing. You take a look at Mr. Penske. He’s 88 or one thing like he’s late 80s and Richard Childress, similar factor. You don’t age out of this enterprise. Prefer it’s your passion and keenness and it’s gonna be there till you may’t.”

Jon’s phrases seize the essence of Eddie Wooden’s timeless dedication to racing, a dedication that transcends age or circumstance. For Eddie, stepping away from the observe isn’t an choice—it’s the lifeblood that fuels his id and the legacy he continues to construct.

Similar to some other NASCAR legend whose coronary heart and soul lie on the tracks, Eddie Wooden shares an identical sort of love for the tracks. In any case, Wooden Brothers was a enterprise that began holding the hand of three siblings – Glen, Delano, and Leonard. Whereas Delano and Leonard have been vested with mechanical duties, it was Glen Woods who was the driving force for the crew who earned 4 Grand Nationwide victories. Finally, all three of the brothers have been in operations and employed drivers like Fred Lorenzen and Invoice Elliott to drive for the crew. It was the beginning of a legacy!

Nonetheless, given the sort of racing that NASCAR has witnessed in the intervening time, Wooden isn’t a lot of a fan. Nonetheless, the rise in aggressive driving and on-track violence has left him disillusioned with the present state of racing. The playoff format provides to his issues, usually leaving constant performers all through the season and not using a truthful shot at reaching the highest tier. Add on to that totally different racing methods which were 

Eddie Wooden’s unwavering dedication to NASCAR is rooted deeply within the custom and values of the Wood Brothers. Additionally it is an affidavit to how driving is fueled by ardour and age is only a quantity.  Whereas the game evolves and faces challenges, Eddie stays a testomony to the spirit of true racing showcasing how a lot NASCAR is embroiled in his pores and skin and with time has turn out to be part of his existence.

The key to Wooden Brothers’ longevity over time

A crew that has spent as a lot time because the Wooden Brothers in a sport ought to go away a mark, a method or one other. In a state of affairs the place groups like Stewart Haas Racing have been pressured to close down, Wooden Brothers is a primary instance of how one can maintain available in the market if one finally ends up making the correct relationships. Harping on the identical feeling, Jon put out the true cause why the crew sustained over so many many years.

He stated, “I see the way in which that we’ve made it this lengthy and the successes that we’ve had, and each little bit of that’s due to being good folks, and the continuing relationships that they’ve with all these key folks.” This grew to become evident when the crew misplaced prime sponsors, like Little Debbie and the Air Drive, in 2008. On the time, they made the exhausting decisions to scale down sources, they usually have been in a position to spring again to life. The crew had go for part-time racing, which inevitably saved them the perils of downsizing.

By means of resilience, strategic partnerships, and an unwavering dedication to their core values, the Wooden Brothers have confirmed that the key to their longevity lies not simply in pace and wins, however in belief and loyalty.

As they give the impression of being to the 2025 Cup Sequence, they’ve one other main change coming in, with former SHR driver Josh Berry taking on the wheel from Harrison Burton. Regardless of his victory at Daytona earlier this yr, the remainder of the season didn’t go the crew’s approach, with Burton barely in a position to break into the High 10. Berry can be their hope to get a extra constant Cup Sequence efficiency this yr.