Bonnett to Berry: 10 winners throughout Wood Brothers Racing’s storied NASCAR history
Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest NASCAR team, is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Josh Berry, the driver who currently pilots the Wood Brothers’ famed No. 21 Ford, has a strong following at Martinsville with his late model success, the storied racing team is ecstatic for Sunday’s Cup Series race at its home track.
The Wood Brothers have now recorded 101 wins throughout their history in NASCAR. That list includes 20 of NASCAR’s greatest drivers who drove for the Wood Brothers at some point in their career, including Dale Jarrett and Cale Yarborough.
Here are 10 of the greatest drivers in the iconic NASCAR team’s history:
David Pearson
This NASCAR Hall of Famer boasts the second-most wins in the sport, and almost half of them came with the Wood Brothers.
David Pearson won 43 of his 105 races in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 between 1972 and 1979. His 105 career wins are second to Richard Petty’s 200 victories.
From Oct. 7, 1973, to Oct. 8, 1978, Pearson won 11 straight poles at Charlotte in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Mercury. Pearson captured five of the 11 poles in what is now the Coca-Cola 600 and claimed six in the fall race.
Neil Bonnett
One of the members of the Alabama Gang replaced Pearson in 1979.
Neil Bonnett won nine of his 18 career races with the Wood Brothers, including back-to-back World 600s — now known as the Coke 600 — at Charlotte in 1982 and 1983.
Dale Jarrett
The Conover native replaced Bonnett in the seat of the No. 21 during the 1991 season.
Dale Jarrett recorded seven Top 10 finishes with the Wood Brothers, including a win at Michigan for his first career Winston Cup Series victory.
Cale Yarborough
The South Carolina legend drove for the Wood Brothers early in his career.
Cale Yarborough joined the Wood Brothers back in 1966. His 13 wins with the team include the 1968 Daytona 500 and the fall race at Daytona, then known as the Firecracker 400.
Marvin Panch
Another one of NASCAR’s greatest 75 drivers, Marvin Panch won eight races for the Wood Brothers.
Panch, who died in 2015 at 89, was in the seat of the famed car from 1962-1966. His success included a sweep of the superspeedway races at Atlanta in 1965.
Elliott Sadler
The recent Xfinity Series most popular driver won one of his three Cup races with the Wood Brothers.
Elliott Sadler, a southern Virginia native, won at Bristol in 2001 to get the team its first victory in eight years at the time. He drove for the Wood Brothers from 1999-2002.
Trevor Bayne
The youngest Daytona 500 winner in NASCAR history delivered for the Wood Brothers.
Trevor Bayne had just turned 20 when he won the Great American Race in 2011. It was significant for what is still a small racing team — the Wood Brothers hadn’t won since Sadler’s victory 10 years prior.
Ryan Blaney
The recent NASCAR Cup Series champion cut his teeth with the Wood Brothers.
Ryan Blaney won his first career Cup race in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 after he initially started driving for the team as a 23-year-old. He moved to Team Penske in 2018 following three seasons with the Wood Brothers before winning his first championship in 2023.
Harrison Burton
The Huntersville native and Cannon School graduate made the NASCAR playoffs last season.
Harrison Burton — the son of Jeff and the nephew of Ward — won the race at Daytona last August to punch a ticket to the postseason at age 23. He’s currently 11th in the Xfinity Series standings, now piloting the No. 25 Ford for AM Racing.
Josh Berry
The 34-year-old driver recently won in his debut season with the Wood Brothers.
Berry’s victory at Las Vegas on March 16 is the first Cup win of his career. The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native — who attended high school at the same time as Taylor Swift — previously drove for Stewart-Haas Racing for a season.
Already locked into this year’s Cup playoffs, Berry looks to win his second race of the season on Sunday at Martinsville.
