Jon Wood
No. 21 Air Force Ford
Las Vegas Advance

JON WOOD READY FOR THE “BIG STAGE” AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DEBUT

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.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Jon Wood, driver of the No. 21 Air Force Ford:
“All I can say at this point is, wow. We knew last year when we circled this date on the calendar how important it was going to be and in just a flash—the weekend and the debut are here. It just seemed to come up so fast, but that’s probably because I’m having so much fun right now. Everything is going great in the Busch car right now and we had a pretty good test down here at Vegas in January.

I feel pretty good about everything going into this weekend. I have grasped just how important this really is and I can only hope that I’ll have a chance to do my part and add to the legacy of this 21 team. I’m going to stay as focused as I can about every practice session, then qualifying and then the race. I have to take it day-by-day or it has the potential to overwhelm me. If I do the best job I can possibly do all weekend long, I’ll hold my head up leaving the tunnel on Sunday. I think it will be one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I want those memories to be good.”

Ernie Cope, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Air Force Ford:
“We’ve really gone to work over the past month to dot our ‘i’s and cross our ‘t’s as we get ready for this race. It’s not that we’ve changed our approach and we’re trying to treat this like any other weekend, but I don’t think there’s a guy on this team that doesn’t understand what we have at stake in this.

We’ve got a good car and I hope we can do the Air Force proud with Jon making his debut. I’m looking forward to working with him all weekend and seeing just how much progress we can make right up until the checkered flag.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-This event will mark Jon Wood’s first official NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start in the No. 21 Air Force Ford. Ken Schrader will be running a second Cup car for the Wood Brothers/JTG team, sponsored by Ore-Ida, Kingsford and Clorox.
-The ESPN Network has committed to filming an “All Access” feature story on Jon Wood and the week leading up to his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup debut, which is slated to air on Sunday, March 11th during their NASCAR Countdown pre-race show. Check local listings for viewing times.
-Jon Wood turned the 16th fastest overall lap at the open test in January at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
-Jon Wood and the entire Wood Family are on tap to take a private guided tour of the Nellis Air Force Base on Thursday, March 8th at 8:00 a.m. Director of Competition Michael McSwain and Co-Team Owner Jodi Geschickter are scheduled to fly in assorted Air Force aircraft.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race
When – Sunday, March 11th, 1:30 p.m. PST
Where – Las Vegas Motor Speedway; 267 laps, 400.5 miles
Network – FOX Network; PRN Radio Network