Iħjut Leonard Kien Bedrock Kreattiv Għas-Suċċess tal-Aħwa tal-Injam

David Pearson saq għall-Aħwa tal-Injam għal bosta snin matul is-snin sebgħin u wieħed mill-aktar rebħiet spettakolari tiegħu kien fil-Daytona 500 tal-1976, fejn huwa l-aħjar Richard Petty wara ħabta tal-aħħar ħoġor.

Meta għamilt l-ewwel intervista tiegħi ma ' l-aħwa Wood, Glen u Leonard, I kien jibża għall-mewt.
Kien madwar 42 sena ilu meta kont qed nibda bħala kittieb tal-motorsports għal The Roanoke Times u l-Woods, bis-sewwieq David Pearson, kienu qed jiskorjaw il-kompetizzjoni nascar Winston Cup.
Il Dick Thompson tard, id-direttur tar-relazzjonijiet pubbliċi superb fil Martinsville Speedway, reklutat lili biex tagħmel storja fuq il-Woods għall-programm razza tiegħu.
Għall-ewwel, ma ridtx nagħmel dan.
"Dick, I bilkemm jafu l-Boskijiet," I qal. "Ma naħsibx li xi ħadd jagħmel. Dawn mhumiex eżattament outspoken u ħerġin fiż-żona tal-garaxx."
"Int ser tagħmel tajjeb," qal Thompson. "Se n waqqaf l-intervista fil-ħwienet tagħhom fi Stuart (Va.)."
Ftit jiem wara Thompson sejjaħli.
"Ukoll, dan ma kienx faċli," huwa qal. "Huma riedu jkunu jafu affarijiet bħal min kont u kemm kien se jdum. I told "em inti tkun malajr kemm jista 'jkun. Tqum hemm."
Trid tifhem li fost il-midja tal-ġurnata, il-Boskijiet kienu kkunsidrati bħala wieħed mill-aqwa timijiet fin-NASCAR.
Huma kellhom organizzazzjoni żgħira iżda setgħu jżommu tagħhom stess - u taħbit - tali powerhouses bħal Holman & Moody, Petty Enterprises u Bud Moore Engineering.
Iżda deher li kienu 'l bogħod. Huma ma kinux soċjevoli. Huma marru dwar il-kompiti tagħhom b'mod effiċjenti u silenzjuż.
Leonard Wood kien master tire changer matul waqfiet tal-fossa, iżda huwa kkontribwixxa wkoll għall-kobor ta 'Wood Brothers permezz tat-talenti tiegħu bħala innovatur u bennej tal-magni.

U meta ġew għall-intervisti, it-tweġibiet tagħhom kienu qosra u enigmatiċi. Il Woods qatt ma taw tweġiba dritta meta waslet għal spjegazzjonijiet ta 'kif huma rebħu tellieqa.
Il-midja, jokingly, spiss irreferiet għal "bidla maġika tax-xażi" bħala s-sigriet għas-suċċess tagħhom.
Fil-verità ma kellhomx l-iċken idea.
Speċjalment reticent kien Glen, il-brother presbiteru elenkati bħala sid it-tim. Ħuh iż-żgħir Leonard, il-membru ewlieni tal-ekwipaġġ tal-mekkanika u tal-fossa, kien ftit aħjar. Għallinqas huwa tbissem ħafna.
Fil-fatt kien Leonard li wieġeb kważi l-mistoqsijiet kollha tiegħi waqt l-intervista. Issa, ċertament, ħafna minn dak li staqsejt kien sempliċiment prattle minħabba li kont naf li l-Woods ma kinux se jħallu laxka ta 'xi sigrieti tal-kompetizzjoni tagħhom.
Smajt, "Le, ejja ma mmorrux hemm," aktar minn darba.
Imma mbagħad ġara xi ħaġa.
Staqsejt lill-Woods kemm kien diffiċli li tlaħħaq mal-bidliet apparentement bla tmiem tar-regola tan-NASCAR - li, dak iż-żmien, saru biex iżommu l-kompetizzjoni ugwali u l-manifatturi tal-karozzi kuntenti.
Leonard f'daqqa ħalla l-kamra.
Huwa reġa' daħal iġorr kaxxa. Huwa battal il-kontenut fuq l-art.
Il-pjanċi tar-restrizzjoni tal-karburatur ta' daqsijiet u forom kbar infirxu mal-art kollha.
"Ara dan?" Leonard staqsa. "Dan huwa dak li għandi nagħmel kontinwament biex niżgura li nkunu veloċi u fi ħdan ir-regoli. Mhuwiex faċli u tieħu ħafna ħin."
Imbagħad huwa tbissem.
"Ma tistax tieħu ritratt ta 'dan kollu," huwa qal.
Imbagħad ir-raġuni li kienet iċ-ċentru tas-suċċess ta 'Woods laqatni. Leonard kien għadu kemm wera b'mod drammatiku ħafna kemm ħadem iebes, kemm kien sperimentali u kemm kien iddedikat li kien fir-rwol tiegħu bħala bennej tal-magna tat-tim.
Mhux ta'b'xejn li l-Boskijiet kienu t-toast tan-NASCAR. Sa l-1972 il-karozzi tagħhom kienu misjuqa għal rebħiet multipli mill-jħobb ta 'Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, A.J. Foyt u Cale Yarborough.
Fi "72, l-ewwel ma 'Pearson, huma rebħu sitt darbiet.
Dan kien biss harbinger ta 'affarijiet li ġejjin. Il-Woods rebħu 11 minn 18-il tiġrija fl-1973 u sebgħa oħra fl-1974.
Huma kienu qed jagħmlu l-aħjar użu mit-tmexxija u l-ħiliet mekkaniċi ta' Glen u Leonard.
Minn dejjem kien motivat li Glen kienet l-istrateġista. Il-Boskijiet qatt ma dam għal kampjonat. Huma kkompetew biss fit-tiġrijiet tas-superspeedway, li ħallsu l-aktar flus.
Glen għażlet il-kombinazzjoni ta' dħul ogħla u inqas spejjeż. Naħseb ukoll li pprefera li razza fejn it-tim kien l-aktar b'saħħtu.
L-unika eċċezzjoni kienet il-binarju hometown tagħhom, in-nofs mil Martinsville Speedway. Huwa biżżejjed li wieħed jgħid, uh, kienu "kkumpensati."
Sadanittant, kien Leonard li kien il-ġenju tekniku. Huwa ma tgħallimx mill-iskejjel jew manwali. Huwa kien mekkanik b'talent naturali li seta 'jibni muturi minn meta kellu 13-il sena.
Bħala bennej tal-magna kien dijaboliku - kważi bħal xjentist mad. Ħadd ma kien jaf eżattament dak li għamel, u hu żgur ma kienx wasal biex jgħid lil xi ħadd, iżda l-magni tiegħu kienu rutina l-aktar qawwija fuq kull superspeedway. In-numri wrew dan.
Ma ntemmitx hemm. Leonard kien ukoll il-perit ta 'fossa wood Brothers - rutina l-aktar mgħaġġla fin-NASCAR.
Leonard kien wieħed mill-aqwa dawk li jbiddlu t-tajers fl-isport - iva, id-dmirijiet tiegħu mat-tim kienu ħafna - iżda kien responsabbli wkoll għall-immodernizzar tat-tagħmir tal-ġurnata.
Huwa ħoloq jack ħafif, wieħed ferm eħfef mill-pounders 70-80 ta 'dawn il-ġurnata. Bl-użu ta 'idrawliċi, Delano Wood, jackman u l-aktar flamboyant tal-Brothers Injam, jista' jkollhom karozza merfugħa f'żewġ pompi. Hija ħadet timijiet oħra daqs 10.
Leonard huwa kkreditat ukoll biex isib modi biex jikseb il-pistoli tal-arja tat-tim biex ineħħi u jissostitwixxi l-ġewż tal-lug aktar malajr u jimmodifika l-bjar tad-dump tal-gass biex il-fjuwil ikun jista 'jiċċirkola aktar malajr.
Mingħajr il-ħiliet naturali u l-kreattività ta' Leonard, l-Aħwa tal-Injam qatt ma kienu jiksbu l-istatus u n-notorjetà li għandhom sal-lum.
Din hija l-akbar raġuni għaliex Leonard huwa wieħed mill-aħħar indutturi fis-Sala tan-NASCAR tal-Fama. Buck Baker, Herb Thomas, Rusty Wallace u Cotton Owens jingħaqdu miegħu din is-sena.
Pearson kien membru tat-tieni klassi tas-sala u l-mandat tiegħu ma Woods ċertament kellu ħafna x'jaqsam ma 'dak.
Leonard se jingħaqad ma' Glen bħala sala ta' membru tal-fama. Huwa biss xieraq. Huma stabbilixxew il-kobor tagħhom flimkien.
Matul is-snin Leonard u sirt konoxxenti ta 'ħbiberija li jistgħu jikkonverġixxu faċilment u daħk spiss.
Naturalment, jien qatt ma staqsejtu dak li għamel jew kif għamel dan.
Naħseb li hu d tbissima. Iżda huwa ma kienx se jwieġeb. Mhux sal-lum.

David Pearson drove for the Wood Brothers for several years during the 1970s and one of his most spectacular wins was in the 1976 Daytona 500, where he bested Richard Petty after a last-lap crash.

When I did my first one-on-one interview with the Wood brothers, Glen and Leonard, I was scared to death.
It was about 42 years ago when I was starting out as a motorsports writer for The Roanoke Times and the Woods, with driver David Pearson, were scorching the NASCAR Winston Cup competition.
The late Dick Thompson, the superb public relations director at Martinsville Speedway, recruited me to do a story on the Woods for his race program.
At first, I didn’t want to do it.
“Dick, I hardly know the Woods,” I said. “I don’t think anyone does. They aren’t exactly outspoken and outgoing in the garage area.”
“You’ll do fine,” Thompson said. “I’ll set up the interview at their shops up in Stuart (Va.).”
A couple of days later Thompson called me.
“Well, that wasn’t easy,” he said. “They wanted to know things like who you were and how long it would take. I told ‘em you would be as quick as possible. Get on up there.”
You have to understand that among the media of the day, the Woods were considered one of the best teams in NASCAR.
They had a small organization but they could hold their own – and beat – such powerhouses as Holman & Moody, Petty Enterprises and Bud Moore Engineering.
But it seemed they were distant. They weren’t sociable. They went about their tasks efficiently and silently.
Leonard Wood was a master tire changer during pit stops, but he also contributed to the Wood Brothers’ greatness through his talents as an innovator and engine builder.

And when it came to interviews, their answers were brief and enigmatic. The Woods never gave a straight response when it came to explanations of how they won a race.
The media, jokingly, often referred to a “magic chassis change” as the secret to their success.
In truth they didn’t have the slightest idea.
Especially reticent was Glen, the elder brother listed as the team owner. His younger brother Leonard, the chief mechanic and able pit crew member, was a little better. At least he smiled a lot.
In fact it was Leonard who answered virtually all my questions during the interview. Now, admittedly, most of what I asked was mere prattle because I knew the Woods weren’t about to let loose of any of their competition secrets.
I heard, “No, let’s not go there,” more than once.
But then something happened.
I asked the Woods how hard it was to keep up with NASCAR’s seemingly endless rule changes – which, at the time, were made to keep competition equal and the auto manufacturers happy.
Leonard abruptly left the room.
He came back carrying a box. He emptied the contents on the floor.
Carburetor restrictor plates of myriad sizes and shapes were spread out all over the floor.
“See this?” Leonard asked. “This is what I have to do constantly to make sure we’re fast and within the rules. It’s not easy and it takes up a lot of time.”
Then he smiled.
“You can’t take a photo of all this,” he said.
Then the reason that was the center of the Woods’ success hit me. Leonard had just very dramatically shown me how hard he worked, how experimental he was and how dedicated he was in his role as the team’s engine builder.
No wonder the Woods were the toast of NASCAR. By 1972 their cars had been driven to multiple victories by the likes of Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, A.J. Foyt and Cale Yarborough.
In ’72, their first with Pearson, they won six times.
That was just a harbinger of things to come. The Woods won 11 of 18 races in 1973 and seven more in 1974.
They were making the most of Glen and Leonard’s leadership and mechanical skills.
It has always been reasoned that Glen was the strategist. The Woods never ran for a championship. They competed only in superspeedway races, which paid the most money.
Glen opted for the combination of a higher income and fewer expenses. I also think he preferred to race where the team was strongest.
The only exception was their hometown track, the half-mile Martinsville Speedway. Suffice it to say, uh, they were “compensated.”
Meanwhile, it was Leonard who was the technical genius. He didn’t learn from schools or manuals. He was a naturally talented mechanic who could build motors from the time he was 13 years old.
As an engine builder he was diabolical – almost like a mad scientist. No one knew exactly what he did, and he sure wasn’t about to tell anyone, but his engines were routinely the most powerful on every superspeedway. The numbers proved it.
It didn’t end there. Leonard was also the architect of a Wood Brothers pit stop – routinely the fastest in NASCAR.
Leonard was one of the best tire changers in the sport – yes, his duties with the team were many – but he was also responsible for modernizing the equipment of the day.
He created a lightweight jack, one far lighter than the 70-80 pounders of they day. With the use of hydraulics, Delano Wood, jackman and the most flamboyant of the Wood Brothers, could have a car lifted in two pumps. It took other teams as many as 10.
Leonard is also credited with finding ways to get the team’s air guns to remove and replace lug nuts more quickly and modifying the gas dump cans to allow fuel to flow faster.
Without Leonard’s natural skills and creativity, the Wood Brothers would have never achieved the status and notoriety they hold to this day.
That’s the biggest reason why Leonard is one of the latest inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Buck Baker, Herb Thomas, Rusty Wallace and Cotton Owens join him this year.
Pearson was a member of the hall’s second class and his tenure with Woods certainly had much to do with that.
Leonard will join Glen as a hall of fame member. It’s only appropriate. They established their greatness together.
Over the years Leonard and I became friendly acquaintances who could converse easily and laugh often.
Of course, I have never asked him what he did or how he did it.
I think he’d smile. But he wouldn’t answer. Not to this day.