In choosing a paint scheme based on the Wood Brothers’ 1963 Ford Galaxie for the throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team is honoring some of the team’s well-known accomplishments and one of its least-known – a Cup Series owners championship. And that fits perfectly with Darlington’s theme this year which is honoring series champions, past, present and future.
The original ’63 Galaxie, painted white on the top and red on the bottom, was the one driven to victory by Tiny Lund in the 1963 Daytona 500, one of NASCAR’s most memorable races. It also was driven by the late team founder Glenn Wood in his last win as a Cup driver, at Bowman Gray Stadium on July 13, 1963. Marvin Panch, who returned to the ’63 Galaxie after being severely burned in a sports car crash prior to the Daytona 500, also won in it, at North Wilkesboro on Sept. 29, 1963.
The rugged and versatile Ford, which was run on Superspeedways, road courses and quarter-mile short tracks, was the workhorse as the Wood Brothers won the 1963 car owner’s championship, the only Cup Series title in the Wood Brothers’ 70-year history in the sport.
In 1963, the driver’s title was won by Joe Weatherly, who ran 53 races driving for nine different owners, none of whom earned enough points to take the owners title. He won three races, scored 20 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes.
The Wood Brothers, who did not run a full schedule in that era, took the owners championship with 23 starts, scoring three wins, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. They used five different drivers – Wood, Lund, Panch, Dave MacDonald and Fred Lorenzen.
Lorenzen rolled the car in practice for its first race, at Riverside, Calif. After some at-track repairs, he drove it to a 22nd-place finish, leading eight laps before the engine expired. MacDonald drove it in the fall race at Riverside, leading a race-high 92 laps before finishing second to Darel Dieringer.
The championship trophy bears the name of the late Ray Lee Wood, brother of the team founder and a long-time crew member on the No 21 Ford.
Glenn Wood explained in a 2017 interview that his brother’s name on the trophy is an example of the team’s legendary frugal ways.
“You had to buy a different license for the driver and the car owner,” he said. “So instead of buying two in my name I put one in Ray Lee’s. I saved ten dollars by doing it, but ten dollars was a good bit of money back then.
“It was my car, but it’s his name on the trophy.”
The original car was turned back in to Holman-Moody at the end of the 1963 season and exchanged for a new model, but the team has recreated the original car and has the replica on display at its museum in Stuart, Va.
Matt DiBenedetto, who would like to win the Woods their second Cup title and his first, said that like many in the sport he was unaware of the Woods’ 1963 championship before he heard about it during a recent visit to the museum in Stuart.
“It’s a pretty cool story,” DiBenedetto said. “Panch got hurt in a big crash then Tiny drove the car and won the Daytona 500. It’s a cool car with a lot of history that people either don’t know or don’t remember.”
About Motorcraft:
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
About Omnicraft:
Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.
About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.
