Wood Brothers/JTG Racing: Venerable team looks vulnerable

Season review

Maybe the best thing that can be said about the 2008 season for the Wood Brothers team is that it survived. One of NASCAR's charter organizations, the Woods celebrated their 60th year in the sport with a Sprint Cup Series season that included a trio of drivers piloting the legendary No. 21 Ford.

Veteran Bill Elliott, Marcos Ambrose and third-generation driver Jon Wood shared time behind-the-wheel of the team's Fusion with a mixed bag of results. The year started off on a down note when the team failed to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500, marking the first time since 1962 that NASCAR's biggest race took the green flag without a Wood entry in the field.

Marcos Ambrose says his 11 Cup-level races in '08 were an eye opener. (Getty Images)

"Our race team is better than it was last year, by far," co-owner Eddie Wood said at the time. "We don't have the results. Our practice times and everything we did this week were better than what we've had in the past. It's hard being a single-car team like we are."

Unfortunately, the single-car problems were a recurring storyline for the Woods in 2008.

Elliott made 20 starts, with a 12th-place finish in the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead -- his best run of the campaign. Nationwide Series regular Ambrose started 11 times, and the road racing specialist was able to score a solid third-place finish at Watkins Glen in August. But the Australian's transition to Sprint Cup oval-track racing was a struggle, with an 18th at Phoenix the highlight of Ambrose's year.

"The 11 races I've done at the Cup level have been an eye opener for me," said Ambrose, who will run the entire Sprint Cup schedule in 2009. "I've realized that to last five hours out there is not an easy thing. The races are long, they're aggressive. The drivers are as good and competitive as I've seen anywhere and the depth of talent is amazing."

Wood took the green flag three times in the family ride but couldn't finish any better than 33rd.

2009 season preview

Ambrose will run the complete Cup slate in the No. 47 ride, which is now part of the newly formed JTG/Daugherty Racing Team, co-owned by former NBA star and current television analyst Brad Daugherty.

That operation has entered into a technical agreement with Michael Waltrip Racing and will campaign a Toyota in a pseudo-satellite team arrangement with MWR.

As for the flagship No. 21 entry, although the Woods plan to be part of the Sprint Cup Series in 2009, its unknown how many races the team can actually plan to make, pending sponsorship and manufacturer support from troubled automaker Ford. It's also unknown who will drive for the Woods next season, although Elliott has indicated a desire to return for another partial schedule.

"I like the group," Elliott said. "I like all the guys they've put together here. It seems like we've finally got some things working. I'll probably do a little bit (next year), but not a lot. I enjoy the driving part. I just don't like the politics. Ford's been good to me throughout the years. I still see a lot of fans that support me. I still have friends around the country I'm able to go see through this deal."

Also in the mix is Kyle Petty, who has a partial sponsorship program with Wells Fargo in hand and is looking for a short-schedule opportunity, should he not return to the family Petty Enterprises stable.

"Who wouldn't want to drive for the Wood Brothers?" said Petty, who previously drove for the team in the mid-1980s. "I drove for 'em before. I like them. They've got a little bit of money. There's a couple of guys who have a little bit of money. And you put one of your deals and one of their deals together, the next thing you know, you've got a pretty healthy team."

Unless a merger can be put together with another small to mid-sized team or major sponsorship materializes, it appears 2009 will be another tough season for the underfunded independent team that is, unfortunately, light years removed from the success it enjoyed in NASCAR's early days.