CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and co-founder of the legendary Wood Brothers Racing Team, Glen Wood, has died. He was 93.
The team made the announcement of Wood's passing Friday on social media.
Wood's first start in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series came at Martinsville in 1953. He finished 30th in a car owned by his family's team. In 62 career starts, Wood won four races and finished in the top 10 34 times.
But it was his accolades as an owner at NASCAR's top level that cemented his status as an icon of the sport. Wood, along with his brothers Leonard and Delano, started Wood Brothers Racing in 1950. Since that time, they've won 99 races, most recently with driver Ryan Blaney in 2017.
Wood was voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2013, Wood was joined by his brother Leonard in the Hall of Fame.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame released the following statement after news of Woods' death:
"First and foremost, on behalf of everyone at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, we offer our most sincere condolences to Ms. Bernece, Eddie and Carol, Len and Nancy, Kim and Terry, and the entire Wood family.
There are so many words that describe Glen Wood – pioneer, legend, competitor, dedicated, committed, resilient, humble, authentic and many more. On the track, the team Glen Wood founded in 1950 has amassed 99 premier series victories including exceptional success at some of NASCAR’s marquee races such as five Daytona 500s, four Coca-Cola 600s and four Southern 500s. Glen was an accomplished driver in his own right winning four times in NASCAR’s premier series, five in NASCAR’s convertible division and numerous other Sportsman and Modified division races before hanging up his helmet to focus his considerable talents on the ownership and innovation side of Wood Brothers Racing. Glen reached the ultimate pinnacle of his NASCAR career by being recognized for his incredible accomplishments and contributions to NASCAR by being inducted into the third class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012. The legendary drivers who have driven for Wood Brothers Racing literally reads as a ‘who’s who’ of NASCAR including fellow NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson (2011), Junior Johnson (2010), Cale Yarborough (2012), Dale Jarrett (2014), Bill Elliott (2015), Curtis Turner (2017), Joe Weatherly (2015), Fred Lorenzen (2015), Hall of Fame nominees Ricky Rudd and Buddy Baker along with legendary drivers A. J. Foyt and Dan Gurney, to name a few.
In addition to their on-track success, Wood Brothers Racing is recognized for revolutionizing the pit stops and dropping the time teams spent on pit road by as much as 50 percent. Wood Brothers Racing was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest active NASCAR team, now at 69 years and counting.
With all that success, perhaps what Glen will most be remembered for is his grace, humility and character. The word that best describes Glen to me is gentleman. I’ve often said if you looked up the term “Southern Gentleman” in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Glen Wood and likely all of the Wood Brothers. While we have lost one of NASCAR’s true pioneers, icons and legends, Glen’s legacy and memory will continue through Wood Brothers Racing and will be forever remembered, preserved, celebrated and cherished here at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, at the Wood Brothers Museum in Stuart, Virginia, and in our hearts and minds."
