There have been three Sprint Cup races so far in 2008. These races have shown Ford Motor Company’s potential for success and disaster in NASCAR’s top series. Ford drivers have the potential to win any race. They showed that at the end of 2007 when Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle combined to capture four victories in the final 13 races. However, the problem with the three top Ford drivers is that there are only three of them. Ford has found itself in a position of being out gunned every time the green flag drops.
By Richard Allen
Roush Fenway Racing maintains five Sprint Cup teams, a number that will soon have to be reduced to four. Of those five teams only the three of Kenseth, Edwards and Biffle appear to have the ability to contend on a weekly basis. David Ragan has never seemed comfortable in the Sprint Cup series. Jamie McMurray has shown flashes of brilliance, like his win last July in Daytona, but has been far from a model of consistency.
Once powerful Yates Racing, which has brought Ford a championship and numerous victories, is currently campaigning two cars, one of which is partially sponsored and the other is not sponsored at all. The organization’s last win was in 2005 at Talladega when Dale Jarrett was ruled to be in the lead after a late race caution fell.
Another former powerhouse for the blue oval brand, Wood Brothers Racing, has brought itself to the brink of extinction by holding on to its glorious past for too long. The company remained in its Stuart, Virginia shop long after all other competitive teams had based themselves in the Charlotte area. Also, the Woods have stuck to the single car approach rather than go the multi car route with virtually everyone else.
" DAYTONA BEACH -- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Dennis Setzer came to NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing on the red eye. It wasn't an early-morning flight that had Setzer's eyes red -- Setzer actually got up at 4 a.m. Saturday to drive here from North Carolina. It was because of the emotions of leaving behind his ailing mother. The 11th-hour commute was necessitated by the illness of Tommie Setzer, who suffered a stroke Wednesday night during emergency surgery for kidney stones.
"I've been with her all day and all night, and her mind's very good right now. The next couple of days are really critical, but there's no decline and she's doing OK," Setzer said. "Her left-side motor skills are paralyzed right now and we'll see how that comes back. We don't know how much the recovery will be or how long the term will be."
He contemplated not coming to the test, but it was at his mother's urging that he finely decided to come.
"She told me, 'You've got a job to do. You go do it,' " Setzer said. "Being here may make it easier on her because she's not there worrying about me having a job to do."
The test in Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia's No. 18 Dodge is a new start for Setzer, a winner of 17 truck races during the last decade.
"(Wood Brothers Racing) wanted (Ken) Schrader in the 21 car because they were back in the top 35 in points, and we had looked at Dennis the year before," BHR-V co-owner Lori Hamilton said. "Dennis and (crew chief) Jeff White just clicked and it was just a carryover from what he and Schrader had started."
"We've got some great racers behind this deal," Setzer said. "They're doing everything for BHR-Virginia." "
CONSIDERING HOW THE WEEKEND STARTED YOU MUST BE PLEASED WITH THIS FINISH.
"It's not typical for us lately, that's for sure. We knew when we tested here that we had a really good car and then I crashed it in practice and I had my doubts. There were a lot of things that we couldn't duplicate on the back-up, so it was nice to be able to get the car where it needed to be by the end of the race."
Jon Wood No 47 Clorox Ford Fusion Telcel-Mexico 200 Race Recap
March 4, 2007
woodbrothersracing.com
When Jon Wood qualified his No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion 30th on Saturday for the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, he didn't seem worried. His confidence proved to be well-founded. Wood rallied to finish 10th on Sunday, giving Wood Brothers/JTG Racing two Top-10 finishers in a Busch Series race since June 18, 2005, when Wood and Stacy Compton both posted Top-10 finishes at the Kentucky Speedway. Wood's teammate, Marcos Ambrose, finished eighth.
The team brought a new car to the 2.518-mile road course in Mexico City, and Wood struggled early in practice and pole qualifying. But he promised better results in the main event.
Wood made a slow and steady run through traffic. He was 18th with 15 laps to go and improved eight spots down the stretch. In the process, he became a bigger fan of road-course racing. Not only did his crew make significant improvements to his No. 47 Clorox Ford before and during the race, Wood found a comfortable rhythm during the race that allowed him to miss all eight caution periods and improve his starting position by 20 spots.
Jon Wood Ready For The "Big Stage" At Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Mar 6, 2007
It's been 25 years in the making, but Jon Wood will finally fulfill a portion of his family destiny when he gets behind the wheel of the famed No. 21 car on Sunday, March 11th, 2007 for the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. Preparations have been of the utmost importance for this historic moment and for Jon Wood, it's all systems go for driving the No. 21 Air Force Ford.
During the January Las Vegas test, Wood was able to clock the 16th fastest lap time in qualifying trim, though he's guaranteed a starting slot in the 43-car field based on the team's 2006 points finish. That will take the pressure off Friday, but that's nothing compared to the pressure he intends to put on himself during the race on Sunday. Regular driver Ken Schrader will step aside, but still compete in a second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup entry, the red No. 47 Ore-Ida/Kingsford/Clorox Ford. The UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 will mark the first time that the Wood Brothers/JTG Organization will have two entries in the same event. The team also has plans to duplicate the double entry later next month at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Media attention is expected to be much higher than normal for the 25-year old Jon Wood. He's taking it all in stride and has a pretty good idea of what to expect heading into the weekend. The ESPN Network is filming a weeklong "All Access" feature story on Jon Wood and his family as the race nears. Part of the plan also has Wood leading a tour (which includes his entire immediate family) of the Nellis Air Force base, across the street from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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