Wood hopes lightning strikes twice at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- In more than five decades of owning NASCAR Winston Cup cars, the Wood Brothers have exactly one victory at Bristol Motor Speedway.

	Jon Wood

On Wednesday night, Jon Wood is hoping to double that victory total at the high-banked half-mile.

Wood is making his Bristol debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks O'Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline Maxlife.

"I've been going to Bristol for years watching the Winston Cup races and those are fun to watch," Wood said. "You almost hold your breath every lap just waiting for something to happen. I have a feeling I'll be holding my breath a lot Wednesday night because it will probably be a pretty wild race.

"This time I'll have a much different perspective than I've ever had before. I think one of the most important factors for this race will be starting up front."

In the previous five Craftsman Truck races held at Bristol, the winner has started no farther back than third, so qualifying well is imperative. Wood already has won two Bud Poles this season.

"We're taking chassis No. 25, which is the same truck that sat on the pole in Memphis," Wood said. "I sure hope it can do it again this week. If you can at least start up front you can avoid some of the accidents until you catch the lapped trucks."

And the tightness of the Bristol oval, almost like driving on the rim of a concrete coffee cup, is one thing that concerns the Stuart, Va., native.

O'REILLY 200  •  Entry List  •  Bristol Motor Speedway  •  Craftsman Truck Series drivers

"Everything happens so fast at Bristol that there is very little time, or space to react," he said. "Starting 36 trucks on a track that size is going to be exciting. We did it at Mesa Marin and Martinsville in the spring, but Bristol is very different.

"Both of those tracks are pretty flat. You can get a lot more speed at Bristol because of the banking."

The Trucks return to Bristol for the first time since 1999 -- and Ron Hornaday's qualifying record of 121.213 mph is expected to be in serious jeopardy.

"People are saying that the Trucks might be a half-second faster than they were in 1999 when they last raced there," Wood said. "The qualifying record is already 15.8 seconds, I can't imagine lapping that place that fast."

Wood said he'd be satisfied with finishing all 200 laps, and with the truck in one piece.

"I've told the guys all month that if we can make it through Bristol, then we should be in pretty good shape for the rest of the season," he said. "I know it's going to be tough and this could be the race that will really shake up the point standings."

One thing for certain -- the driver celebrating in Victory Lane won't be a repeat winner. None of the four drivers who have Bristol victories -- Joe Ruttman, Rick Carelli, Hornaday and Jack Sprague -- are entered to drive in Wednesday night's race. In fact, Sprague, a Michigan native, is the only Bristol winner born east of the Mississippi River.