LINDSEY WOOD – A FUTURE STAR
Lindsey Wood just couldn’t
pass up valuable seat time and a good view of the professional starting lights.
For the young driver, there is so much to learn, so much to prove.
“It’s what I love to do,” she said without hesitation.
Wood ultimately wants to beat the best in the NHRA Pro Stock ranks, but to get
there she will need to take the highs with the lows of experiencing quicker
times, faster speeds, and occasional tire shake.
Given the history of Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows and their heralded Top Alcohol Dragster, however, Wood appears to be in good hands.
The California-based A/Fuel dragster team has been a proven training ground for several NHRA pro drivers currently on the circuit, notably Ashley Force, Morgan Lucas, Brandon Bernstein, Melanie Troxel, and Gary Scelzi.Could Wood be next?
Climbing the progression of drag racing, Wood is poised to become tomorrow’s star
Lindsey Wood just couldn’t
pass up valuable seat time and a good view of the professional starting lights.
For the young driver, there is so much to learn, so much to prove.
“It’s what I love to do,” she said without hesitation.
Wood ultimately wants to beat the best in the NHRA Pro Stock ranks, but to get
there she will need to take the highs with the lows of experiencing quicker
times, faster speeds, and occasional tire shake.
Given the history of Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows and their heralded Top Alcohol Dragster, however, Wood appears to be in good hands.
The California-based
A/Fuel dragster team has been a proven training ground for several NHRA pro
drivers currently on the circuit, notably Ashley Force, Morgan Lucas, Brandon
Bernstein, Melanie Troxel, and Gary Scelzi.
Could Wood be next?
When Force vacated the Darien/Meadows seat to join her legendary father and his
Funny Car contingent earlier this year, Wood was highly recommended for the
job. She soon became the clear choice.
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“I know I’m new to it all,
but everything has gone really well. I have a great team,” she said. “I just
love racing. I love to win, but I also love being (at the track).”
So far, the results have been mixed for the 22-year-old Floridian, but the potential for greatness is there.
Wood pocketed her first TAD victory during an out-of-division visit to No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, La., on March 3. In only her third race of the young season, Wood knocked off South Central Division champion Spencer Massey in the final round with a 5.291 second pass at 257.04 mph to take the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Cajun Challenge.
Wood followed that effort two weeks later by putting up personal-best numbers for elapsed time (5.287) and top speed (270.97 mph) in qualifying sixth at the ACDelco Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. She reached the semifinals, beating Bill Reichert off the line, but eventually falling to the defending national champion at the finish.
There also been some disappointments along the way for the rookie. She qualified at two other nationals, but her dragster dropped a cylinder early in a first-round loss at the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston. She ran well at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals near Atlanta, but bowed to Massey in the second round.
Despite some inconsistencies, Wood has lofty goals. She wants to finish in the top 10 nationally in points – with scheduled stops at Topeka, Kan., Seattle, Sonoma, Calif., Dallas and Pomona, Calif. – and back home contend for the Southeast Division title against some formidable competition. She currently holds the Division 2 lead with a pair of first-round exits, but the bulk of a challenging season still lies ahead.
Wood’s ride is being backed by Valvoline, K&N products, Hardens Welding Service, Jerry Barker Hummer, and her family’s high-performance auto parts business, CSR Performance Products.a d v e r t i s e m e n t
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“The speeds
don’t really bother me at all,” Wood said of her jump to TAD. “But I struggled
getting used to the handbrake. I’ve got to make sure my hand is on the brake
and I’m letting off the gas at the same time. I struggled with it, but after
awhile I got it worked out.”
Under the
guidance of her father, Rowland, and the support of her family, Wood carefully
worked her way up the ranks. The racing family includes mom, Kim, and brother,
Jason, who also works on cars and competes as well.
Wood successfully raced Jr. Dragsters until she was 16. By the time she was 19, Wood was
racing a big-block dragster prepared by her father, who was a longtime champion
driver and car builder before starting his own business. CSR has grown over the
years and is situated in the family’s hometown of McAlpin, 40 miles from Gainesville.
Wood eventually graduated into the sportsman ranks, earning her Super Comp license in 2003 and winning her first national event, the ’05 Gatornationals, at age 20.
Along the way, Rowland taught his daughter how to compete the right way, safely. Rowland sees a driven, unflappable driver bent on one day turning pro.
“She’s laid back but very competitive,” he said. “She doesn’t get rattled.”
Rowland supported his daughter’s decision to try the TAD class. Now, it’s up to her to get the necessary laps to hone her skills. Bracket racing had taught her some things, but anticipating the pro tree and using different equipment will expose her to new experiences.
“If your sights are set eventually on going pro, you’ve got to have all the seat time you can get,” Rowland said.a d v e r t i s e m e n t
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To get more laps, Rowland will continue to field a Super Comp entry for her at designated races.
For now, Wood is enjoying her ride with the Darien/Meadows team.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity. It’s a step in the right direction for me,” Wood said. “I’m going to take it a year at a time and see what happens.”
With good fortune, her dream of racing against the NHRA pros might soon be realized.
“Pro Stock is really where I would love to go. I like it because it’s pretty much a driver’s race. It’s so close. You’re shifting gears. It’s so much fun.”
“I’ve always had my heart set on Pro Stock, but I’m not going to turn down a ride in Top Fuel,” she said. “I’m just going to see where this goes.”
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