Wood Brothers Daytona Wins

by Tom Jensen August 29, 2024

Wood Brothers Racing has claimed victory 15 times at Daytona International Speedway with eight different drivers.

Second-generation racer Harrison Burton shocked the NASCAR world when he won the August 24^th Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, delivering the 100^th victory for Wood Brothers Racing.

Winless in 97 prior NASCAR Cup Series starts, Burton’s Daytona victory was a huge upset that added to the already impressive legacy of Stuart, Virginia-based Wood Brothers organization, NASCAR’s longest continually operating team. Founded in 1950 by NASCAR Hall of Famer Glen Wood (Class of 2012) the team has always been family run with Glen’s brother Leonard Wood (Class of 2013) serving as crew chief in the early days, and Glen’s children and grandchildren now leading the organization.

From the earliest days of the sport, Daytona has had a special connection to the Wood family, with Glen racing on the beach throughout the 1950s before competing in the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. Since then, Daytona International Speedway has been a good track for the Wood Brothers team, with Burton’s victory being their 15^th points race win there. All told, eight different drivers have driven Wood Brothers Ford or Mercury race cars to victory at the fabled 2.5-mile Florida tri-oval.

Here are the eight drivers who won at Daytona for the Wood Brothers:

Tiny Lund, 1963

Prior to the 1963 Daytona 500, Wood Brothers Racing driver Marvin Panch was burned when he crashed during practice for a sports car race at the track. Journeyman driver Tiny Lund was pulling through the tunnel into the infield when he saw Panch’s Maserati upside down and on fire after the wreck. Acting quickly, Lund helped free Panch from his burning car and pull him to safety.

From his hospital bed, Panch told team owner Glen Wood that he should give Lund his seat for the 500. Wood agreed and Lund, who was winless in 131 starts dating back to 1955, took over the driving duties of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford for the 1963 Daytona 500. Using a strategy devised by crew chief Leonard Wood, Lund ran 500 miles on a single set of tires and made one less pit stop than his rivals, finishing 23 seconds ahead of Fred Lorenzen (Class of 2015). It was the first of five Daytona 500 victories for the Wood Brothers.

Tiny Lund’s 1963 Daytona 500 trophy is on display in Heritage Speedway.

A.J. Foyt, 1965, ’72

Nicknamed “Super Tex,” A.J. Foyt is the only driver in history to win the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Foyt’s seven NASCAR Cup Series victories included a pair at Daytona driving for the Wood Brothers. After winning the 1964 Firecracker 400 in a Ray Nichels-owned Dodge, Foyt moved to a Wood Brothers Ford a year later and repeated his victory in the July 4th Daytona race, lapping all but runner-up Buddy Baker (Class of 2020) in the 40-car field.

In the 1972 Daytona 500, Foyt scored one of the most dominant victories ever in the Great American Race. Driving a Wood Brothers Mercury, Foyt started on the outside of Row 1, led 167 of 200 laps and this time lapped the full field.

Cale Yarborough, 1967, ’68

In the 1967 Firecracker 400, attrition played a huge role in Cale Yarborough (Class of 2012) winning the race, as just 13 of 39 starters were classified as running when the checkered flag fell. Yarborough led 30 laps, including the final one, as he held off Dick Hutcherson for the victory.

The following year, Yarborough swept both the Daytona 500 and the Firecracker 400. He qualified on the pole for the 500, leading 76 of 200 laps in his Wood Brothers Mercury. On July 4th at Daytona, Yarborough led 142 of 160 laps and finished 2 laps ahead of LeeRoy Yarbrough, who was also the second-place driver in the Daytona 500 that year.

Cale Yarborough’s 1968 Firecracker 400 trophy is on display in Heritage Speedway.

David Pearson, 1972, ’73, ’74, ’76, ’78

Given that he was the most successful driver in Wood Brothers history, it’s no surprise that David Pearson (Class of 2011) won more races at Daytona than any of the team’s other drivers. At Daytona, Pearson visited Victory Lane a whopping five times, scoring four Firecracker 400 wins, including three in a row from 1972-’74, all in front of second-place Richard Petty (Class of 2010).

But the most memorable Pearson-Petty battle at Daytona came in the 1976 Daytona 500, one of the most important races in the sport’s history. In that race, Petty led when the white flag came out, signaling one lap to go. On the backstretch, Pearson drove his Mercury below Petty’s Dodge, taking the lead going into Turn 3. As they headed into Turn 4, it was Petty’s turn to go low. But at the exit of the final turn of the race, the two made contact, both cars going headfirst into the outside wall before spinning into the infield grass. Petty’s car stalled just a few yards from the start-finish line, while Pearson was able to re-fire his Wood Brothers Mercury and limp down the track to take the checkered flag.

Neil Bonnett, 1979

When David Pearson left the Wood Brothers Racing team after the eighth race of the 1979 season, Alabama racer Neil Bonnett was brought in to drive the team’s iconic No. 21 Mercury. Despite the obvious pressure that went along with the ride, Bonnett acquitted himself admirably, winning three races with the team in 1979. In fact, Bonnett won in just his third start with the team, capturing the victory in the Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway (now Dover Motor Speedway).

Bonnett’s biggest win of the 1979 season came on the Fourth of July at Daytona, where he led 77 of 160 laps to win the Firecracker 400 by one car length over Benny Parsons (Class of 2016). Dale Earnhardt (Class of 2010), Darrell Waltrip (Class of 2012) and Richard Petty (Class of 2010) rounded out the top five.

Buddy Baker, 1983

Tiny Lund, Trevor Bayne and Harrison Burton all scored their respective first NASCAR Cup Series victories driving for the Wood Brothers at Daytona International Speedway. Buddy Baker (Class of 2019) on the other hand won his 19th and final Cup Series race in the 1983 Firecracker 400 on July 4th on the Central Florida track.

There, Baker took the lead from Terry Labonte with two laps to go to seal his victory. Baker led 45 laps to score his first race victory in more than three years. Baker would continue running a partial schedule through 1992, but this race was his last trip to Victory Lane.

Trevor Bayne, 2011

In the 2011 Daytona 500, rookie Trevor Bayne won just his second career NASCAR Cup Series start. And to say Bayne was an underdog would be a vast understatement. Bayne’s victory came one day after he turned 20 years old, and it was the first victory for the Wood Brothers since Elliott Sadler won the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2001.

A pair of late cautions sent the race into overtime. Bayne took his only lead of the race on Lap 203 of 208, after David Ragan was penalized for changing lanes too soon on a restart. In a classy move, after the race Richard Petty walked his longtime friend and competitor, Wood Brothers founder Glen Wood, to Victory Lane, along with Edsel Ford. It was truly a feelgood finish. “Are you kidding me?” Bayne yelled into the team’s radio after scoring one of the biggest upsets not just in NASCAR history but in the history motorsports.

Harrison Burton, 2024

As dramatic as Trevor Bayne’s victory was in the 2011 Daytona 500, Harrison Burton’s triumph in the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 – formerly the Firecracker 400 – was equally unlikely and remarkable. Harrison came into the race 34th in points and already had been told he would not be back with the team in 2025. In 97 NASCAR Cup Series starts prior to Daytona, Burton had just one top-five and five top-10 finishes. Despite all that, somehow Burton won.

A series of crashes meant only 24 of 40 cars were running at the end, and of those cars many had significant damage. A late caution on Lap 160 sent the race into overtime. Restarting on the inside, Kyle Busch took the lead when the green flag dropped, while Burton initially fell back in the outside lane. On the final lap, Burton got a great push on the backstretch from Parker Retzlaff, enabling Burton to take the lead going into Turn 3. As the field exited Turn 4, Burton dropped low, blocking Busch and cutting off his momentum. Burton charged to the line, taking the checkered flag just 0.47 seconds ahead of Busch.

In the process, Burton became the 19th driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race for the Wood Brothers and the first since Ryan Blaney won at Pocono in 2017. Burton also locked himself into the Cup playoffs, the first Wood Brothers driver to do so since Matt DiBenedetto in 2020.

“Racing is something that you just put everything you’ve got into it, and everybody does,” said Wood Brothers CEO Eddie Wood, Glen’s son. “If you’re a real racer and probably the older you are the more it means, but I’m just proud of all the team that put it all together and all the people that helped us get here. All of the fans.”

“Winning is hard and it should be,” added Len Wood, COO and Eddie’s brother. “We don’t win a lot, but I think when we do, then the built-up emotions come out when we do win. I’ve had people say that they were laying on their floor crying or jumping up and down crying. For me, I didn’t cry, but I was so happy to see the smile on Harrison’s face and his mom and his dad. That was what was the best part for me.”

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