Circuit City 250 - Jon Wood Notes

Wood Hopes Return To Virginia Changes Luck

JON WOOD HOPES LADY LUCK EMBRACES No. 47 CLOROX FORD AT RICHMOND

Jon Wood feels a greater sense of pride any time he drives a race car in his home state of Virginia. Friday night’s Circuit City 250 at the Richmond International Raceway is no different.

Wood will be behind the wheel of his No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion, hoping to steer clear of a month-long run of bad racing luck. A native of Virginia, Wood hopes being close to home will be the kind of magical elixir his Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team has needed.

The race car has been fast all month. But he’s been an innocent victim in a string of accidents during the same stretch.

Richmond offers a great opportunity for change. It’s a three-quarter-mile track that incorporates the speed of a bigger racetrack and the nuances of a short track. For Wood, that’s the best of both worlds – a combination Wood hopes will get him back on the right track.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Jon Wood, driver of the No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion:
“There’s always a source of pride when you go home,” he said. “Richmond is the kind of racetrack where you take what you can get. It’s a great little racetrack. It’s an easy racetrack to make a pass on, but it’s difficult racetrack to get a good finish. There always seems to be a lot of attrition there.

“Despite what’s happened in the last four or five races, we’re going in there with a great attitude. We had a good test there and we’re real confident. We’d like to qualify close to the front so we can start with decent track position. The more traffic you can keep behind you, the more you reduce your odds of being swept up in somebody else’s problem.”

Scott Zipadelli, Crew Chief of the No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion:
“We’re going to our Plan B at Richmond,” he said. “We’ve really had to shuffle around our cars, but we’ve got a real good car for Richmond. We’ll be all right. The secret there is to make sure it can roll through the center of the corner. You want to make sure it’s free enough where you can turn it, especially at the exit of the corners, but not too free. It’s a delicate balance and something everyone will be chasing throughout the race.

“Our strategy is to go in there, run hard and don’t do anything to beat ourselves.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Jon Wood is 21st in the NASCAR Busch Series standings with $318,375 in earnings.
-Wood has 82 career starts in the Busch Series with 12 Top 10s.
-Wood is the grandson of legendary driver Glen Wood and the son of Wood Brothers/JTG racing co-owner of Eddie Wood.
-Wood’s combined earnings in NASCAR, including Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series starts, is $3,881,004.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – Circuit City 250 NASCAR Busch Series race
When – Friday, May 4, 8 p.m. ET
Where – Richmond International Raceway
Networks – ESPN2, Sirius Satellite Channel 128