1on1: Len Wood (cont'd)

Q: Running near the front brought back fond memories, didn't it?

Wood: Yeah, late in the race, when they had that huge wreck, we were the first pit in. Sand was flying in our pits when they hit those barrels, and we were looking back and they were killin' time, I guess -- and they had on the big screen behind us a big picture of Marvin Panch in the No. 21. He won the last race that was a caution-free race that they run there. That was pretty special to look up there and see our dad's car up there.

“

We've talked to a lot of people about a lot of different scenarios. ... We've been a family owned deal since 1950, so the right situation has to come up.

”

LEN WOOD

Q: It seems like you're taking the baby steps that you need to survive and maybe thrive, but are you confident about your long-term future?

Wood: I won't call 'em baby steps. We're cuttin' cars up. We've got people working 24 hours a day. And I'm not talking about just cuttin' one up. We're cuttin' 'em as fast and making changes as quickly as humanly possible for us, over the last few weeks. The first week is get a racecar that's good, so we try that and we go to Pocono and it all works better. Then the next thing is let's get a backup car, which now we've got a backup car. If they wreck right now, they can pull another one out and be confident that it's the same. Then we built another new one for Bristol with some modifications, and there will be another new one after that. ... We're making changes to ultimately ensure better performance.

Q: You saw what Petty Enterprises did recently with bringing in an outside investor. Is that something Wood Brothers Racing might look to do?

Wood: I would say we're never opposed to improving our race team, however that might be. We've been a family owned deal since 1950, so the right situation has to come up. Like I said, having a teammate [and a second car] would be better, but it's not always the fix for everything. Selling our deal to somebody, if it's not the right guy, there are problems that can go with that. Like I've said, we just need to get better.

Q: Is it at least encouraging that the Pettys appear to be getting some money pumped in, but they're still retaining control of their operation?

Wood: It's hard to say. I think every situation is different. You've got Jack Roush and his relationship with John Henry [and the Fenway Group]. I think that's different than what Ray Evernham has with George Gillet. And I think the Pettys is a different situation from that, yet again. So we've got to find the right situation for us.

Q: Have you had much interest from outside investors?

Wood: We've talked to a lot of people about a lot of different scenarios. But right now, like I've said, our main focus is just to get our cars working better.