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[/media-credit]May 19, 2012
The Wood Brothers had quite a day on Friday, as Trevor Bayne qualified the No. 21 Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion 11th for Saturday’s Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Just down the road, team founder Glen Wood, carried the colors for the Wood Brothers past, as he appeared at the NASCAR Hall of Fame with his fellow 2012 inductees as their memorabilia was moved into the Hall of Honor.
During the time that Glen was savoring the moment and reminiscing with fellow inductees Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, and former crew chief of the late Richie Evans, as well as the rest of the Evans family, Bayne was feeling the heat of his first appearance in NASCAR’s All-Star race, an appearance he earned by winning the 2011 Daytona 500.
“I’m sweating,” he said, after posting the 11th best time in a qualifying format that was comprised of three laps at speed plus a four-tire pit stop. “I was so nervous going out there that I was sweating before I got in the car.”
Bayne went on to say that the pit stop was the most nerve-wracking part of the session, and that he’ll be better prepared the next time he’s in that situation.
I’m excited to get that under my belt,” he said. “The next time I won’t be so nervous and I can just go out there and go for it, because I was sweating bullets.”
Donnie Wingo, crew chief of the Good Sam/Camping World Ford Fusion, said the car was a little too loose in qualifying, but felt like the team was in good shape for Saturday’s main event.
“We didn’t tighten it up enough for qualifying, but the race set-up seems to be OK,” he said. “The car had good balance, and we put a little adjustability in it.”
For team co-owners Eddie and Len Wood, Friday’s practice session took a back seat to the events at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Both were late arriving at the track because they were in attendance as artifacts representing their father’s career were officially introduced. Included in the display area are a trophy Wood earned for winning three races at Bowman Gray Stadium in 1953, the team’s 2011 Daytona 500 trophy, Wood’s Most Popular Driver trophy from 1959, as well as trophies from his triumphs on Daytona’s old beach-road course, and the check written to David Pearson for his share of the winner’s purse from the 1976 Daytona 500.
Eddie Wood said he never tires from visiting the Hall of Fame and talking to his father and fellow inductees.
“There’s so much in there that I remember,” he said. “There are things that I’ve heard about and things that I’ve been a part of.”
“It’s a really cool place.”
For now, it’s back to the present in preparing for the Sprint All-Star race.
The main events begin Saturday night at 7:30 with the 40-lap Sprint Showdown for non-qualified drivers. The All-Star race is set to start at 9 p.m. with TV coverage on SPEED.
