CUP: Wood Brothers Give Said A Hand

Sprint Cup

CUP: Wood Brothers Give Said A Hand

Boris Said will have the Wood Brothers crew service his Ford in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway...

Tom Jensen | Posted June 20, 2009 Sonoma, CA

Road racing expert Boris Said had some issues with Greg Biffle in the 2011 NASCAR Season. (Photo: Getty Images)

Road-racing ace Boris Said qualified John Carter’s unsponsored Ford Fusion ninth for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. On race day, the brillo-headed Said will have some familiar help in his pit stall.

Wood Brothers Racing, which did not enter this race, will serve as the pit crew for Said on Sunday, servicing his car when it stops for gas and tires. For a team in a one-off venture, having experienced help in the pits is a big deal, especially given the inherent obstacles trying to compete with the many well-funded, full-time teams in the field.

“For a part-time guy it’s hard because, one, I haven’t driven one of these cars since February in the Twin 150’s (Daytona qualifying races),” noted Said. “These guys are the best in the world at what they do and they’re in these cars week-in and week-out, and we throw some guys together and show up every three or four months, so it’s just tough. That’s a bigger uphill battle. We’ve been really close a lot of times and I’m not giving up. That’s my goal is to someday win one of these things.”

For the Wood Brothers, helping out another team is hardly something new. In fact, way back in 1965, the Woods served as the pit crew for Scotsman Jimmy Clark when he won the Indianapolis 500.

Team co-owner Eddie Wood said the squad was happy to jump in to help out Said.

“We spoke a few weeks ago and Boris mentioned he was going to run Sonoma and didn’t have a pit crew, so since that race wasn’t on our schedule and we had no intentions of going, we offered up our guys,” said Wood. “Boris Said helped us out at Watkins Glen a couple of years ago and has done a lot to help our road racing program overall. He’s just a friend.”

The partnership could be extended in August at the Watkins Glen International road course.

“We’re trying to find some money to take Boris to Watkins Glen in one of our cars,” said Wood. “We haven’t been successful so far, but we’re trying because there aren’t many better on a road course than him. Really, it’s just a case of friends take care of friends. He needs something and I’m glad we’re the ones who can be able to help him out. I’m sure he would do the same for us.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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