Amp Energy 500

TIRE TROUBLES SNARE JON WOOD INTO ACCIDENT; TEAM COMES BACK TO FINISH RACE

TALLADEGA, AL — Jon Wood was able to secure a spot for his family's storied car by qualifying for the Amp Energy 500 in the 27th position. As Sunday's race began, Jon worked with the car and radioed to the crew that he was having difficulty driving on the bottom of the track. By lap 23 he commented, “This car is ridiculous fast; I just need someone to go with me.”

The caution flag waved for the first time on lap 34. Since the race cars are impounded and cannot be worked on after qualifying at Talladgea, the team needed to swap over the No. 21 from qualifying trim to race trim. So, Crew Cheif David Hyder called Jon down pit road to allow the crew to make the changes to put the car in race trim. The team was able to finish the changes, put on four tires and add fuel all in that one stop. They sent Jon back to the track in 31st position as the race restarted on lap 38.

As laps went by, Jon reported the car was loose in turn three. The yellow flag flew again seven laps later, and Hyder made the call to bring the No. 21 down pit road for adjustments to help with the condition. They also put on four tires and refueled the car. Jon restarted the race in 33rd place on lap 49.

On lap 53, the No. 44 of David Reutimann blew a tire and hit the back of Jeff Gordon in the No. 24. Jeff's car then collected Jon in the No. 21 as he slammed the wall. However severely damaged; Jon was able to drive the car to pit road. Hyder ordered the pit crew and Jon to move to the garage because the car was leaking water. The end diagnosis was that it needed a new radiator and new nose. As the team began to fix the damage in the garage, another caution came out for the first “Big One” with eight race cars involved in the wreck. Debris needed to be cleaned from the track, so NASCAR brought out the red flag on lap 68. The red flag forced the Wood Brothers Racing team to suspend their work in the garage for 17 minutes until NASCAR lifted it and brought out the yellow flag. The race resumed under green once again on lap 72 while the No. 21 team worked diligently in the garage.

The pit crew was able to resurrect the car, and Jon returned to the track on lap 88 in the 42nd position. The No. 24 returned to the track at the same time. So, Jon and Jeff decided to run together and gain some positions since several cars were still off the track. As tire issues continued, a wreck on lap 98 brought out the caution once again. Jon reported that some tape was coming off and he was having handling issues. Hyder called the No. 21 down pit road to fix any damage and tape. The crew sent Jon back to the track but to immediately return to put on two left side tires that had an air pressure adjustment. Jon returned to the track in 37th on lap 103 gaining five spots.

By lap 139, Jon moved up to 35th and up to 33rd by lap 168. With only 14 laps left in the 188 lap event, another “Big One” happened that involved 12 cars including 6 Chase contenders. NASCAR elected to bring out the red flag again due to massive debris on the track. After 12 minutes, the race resumed with only 10 laps to go. With only four laps left in the race, another caution mandated the green, white, checkered flag scenario to finish the event. Jon took the green flag on lap 188 and crossed the finish line in 33rd.

Jon commented on the frustrating situation of being in the wrong place at the wrong time in Talladega. “I just got run in to.” He added, “It wasn’t really anybody’s careless errors or mistakes, it was just a blown tire. It’s unfortunate because this (car) was fast. We just elected to ride where the other Roush cars were and then I decided to try and go to the front. In the process of doing so, that’s when I got tore up.”

Wood Brothers Racing will return to Lowes Motor Speedway with Bill Elliott behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford Fusion for the Bank of America 500 on Saturday night, October 11th. Contributed by Christina Cicci, Wood Brothers Racing

Amp Energy 500 Results:
1. Tony Stewart
2. Paul Menard
3. David Ragan
4. Jeff Burton
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Bobby Labonte
7. Scott Riggs
8. Robby Gordon
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Elliott Sadler
33. Jon Wood

2008 Final
Point Standings:
1. Jimmie Johnson — 6684
2. Carl Edwards — 6615
3. Greg Biffle — 6467
4. Kevin Harvick — 6408
5. Clint Bowyer — 6381
6. Jeff Burton — 6335
7. Jeff Gordon — 6316
8. Denny Hamlin — 6214
9. Tony Stewart — 6202
10. Kyle Busch — 6186
11. Matt Kensteh — 6184
12. D. Earnhardt, Jr. — 6127
36. M. Ambrose* — 2655
*Listed by Owner Points for Michael Waltrip Racing/
JTG Daugherty Racing