Watched the new Glen Wood bio last night and thought it was an excellent show, just like all the others that have been produced in this series. Wish they could all get distribution beyond the SPEED Channel.
I worked with the Wood family on two occasions, first when I was Motorsports Coordinator at 7-Eleven and later when they came and asked me to go to Tulsa and pitch CITGO to handle their Public Relations, which I did and which account I got, with Wood family backing. I was particularly interested to see how the story would be portrayed.
I was especially glad to see the remaining brothers telling the story together and especially appreciated the kind words of Edsel Ford II.
After having written news releases and press kits for the team during two different stints, I immediately started learning things I should have already known, but didn't. One thing that wasn't discussed and which I never asked is why all of the early cars spelled Glen's name on the cars with two "Ns" as GLENN? The team has always been incorporated as The Glen Wood Co., Inc. and the name was always spelled with only one "N" in all my dealings. Any of y'all know the answer?
I'd always assumed the nickname "Wood Chopper" was a derivation of Glen's last name and didn't realize the connection to the lumber business.
I loved the old footage from Bowman-Gray Stadium, especially the #16 coach that was built for Glen and how he described trying to look out of it while sitting in the "back seat" and set up passes at the Stadium. Some wonderful old footage.
I never knew until this show that Glen had ever promoted a race, yet he said that he, Marvin Panch and Curtis Turner were co-promoters at the last race Glen ever drove, at Starkey in Roanoke, Virginia.
I just commented in the past 24 hours how I think the NASCAR Hall of Fame needs someone with good promotional skills on board like the old time promoters. I was particularly struck by what stuck out in Glen Wood's mind when the team won the first Charlotte superspeedway race, with Speedy Thompson driving. He said that Richmond promoter Paul Sawyer immediately came up to him in victory lane and offered $2,500 for Glen to bring the winning car with Speedy driving to Richmond the next week and another $1,000 for him to bring a second car for Joe Weatherly. As Glen stated, he already had $3,500 in his pocket when he showed up at Richmond the next weekend with his two cars. Old time promoter Sawyer made Glen happy, filled his field, and drew the crowd he needed all at the same time. That's promotion.
Of all the things shown in the bio, including all the old racing clips, it was the most recent clip that brought a tear to my eye. It was a clip that wasn't seen on the network Daytona 500 telecast following Trevor Bayne's win, but caught by a camera crew in the pits. The shot showed the lanky figure of longtime Wood Brothers Racing adversary Richard Petty coming immediately to Glen in the Daytona pit following the checkered flag. Petty bent a little and put an arm over the somewhat stooped and almost dazed Glen Wood's shoulder. The sound crew barely caught The King's words to Glen Wood. "Let me take you to Victory Lane," said the man who had been there more times than any driver in Daytona 500 history. Class always wins out and rises to the top. What class to see those two longtime warriors who have meant so much to racing walk arm in arm to Victory Lane.
I could have easily handled another hour of this show.
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 04/01/17 11:31:55PM
