Jack Wood will make his fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start of 2023 for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) behind the wheel of the No. 51 Logitech Chevrolet in Saturday’s 200-mile race at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR). Wood has finished inside the top 10 in two of his four Truck Series starts this season, including recording a career-best ninth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in early April. Wood has an average finish of 14.5 across his two prior Truck Series starts at WWTR, with a best result of 10th coming in the 2021 event at the 1.25-mile oval.
Wood, who will make a total of 13 Truck Series starts this season, will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 Silverado for the next three events on the schedule including Saturday. Saturday’s race is the second event of the 2023 Triple Truck Challenge in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. For the races at Charlotte, World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway only points earning drivers in the Truck Series are eligible to participate in those events, with each event having extra money on the line. If a driver wins one of the three races they will earn a $50,000 bonus, if they win two of the three races, they will earn a $150,000 bonus and if Charlotte winner Ben Rhodes is able to win all three races, he will earn a $500,000 bonus. In its four year history, no driver has won all three races. Wood finished 18th in the Charlotte race last week.
Logitech G will be the primary sponsor on Wood’s No. 51 this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, is a global leader dedicated to serving the needs of Gamers and Creators with award-winning hardware, software, and solutions. Logitech G’s industry-leading products include keyboards, mice, headsets, mousepads, simulation products such as wheels and flight sticks, webcams, lights and microphones, and specialized furniture solutions; all made possible through innovative design, advanced technologies and a deep passion for gaming and creator communities.
In addition to his part-time schedule for KBM in the Truck Series this season, Wood is running a limited schedule in the ARCA Menards Series with Rev Racing. The California native has one top five and four top-10 finishes with an average result of 11.4 across five starts with Rev Racing this season. He currently ranks third in the ARCA Menards Series point standings, 22 points behind Jesse Love. Wood is not scheduled to race in the series’ next event June 17 at Berlin Raceway but will be racing the ARCA Menards Series West event at Sonoma Raceway June 9. Wood has also been running a limited schedule in the TA2 Series, where he captured the pole and brought home the victory at Sonoma in late April.
Veteran crew chief Brian Pattie is calling the shots for the No. 51 team this year in his first season at KBM after spending the last 14 seasons atop the pit box in the NASCAR Cup Series. It took the veteran signal caller just two races to get his first win at KBM, winning with owner-driver Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the Cup Series, his drivers produced six wins, nine poles, 57 top-five and 131 top-10 finishes across 528 starts. In 2012, he guided Clint Bowyer to three victories and a runner-up finish in the Cup Series championship standings. In 2017, he guided Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to two wins and a berth in the playoffs. The Florida native has also recorded 11 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and now has two wins as a crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Saturday will be Pattie’s first time atop the pit box for a Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway. He was victorious with Reed Sorenson in the 2005 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Gateway and earned finishes of seventh or better in all five races he crew chiefed in the NXS at the Missouri track.
The No. 51 team currently ranks second in the Craftsman Truck Series owner’s point standings. With five races remaining in the regular season, they trail the No. 11 team by 22 points. Over the first 11 races, they have recorded one win, one pole, 163 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.5. After Wood finishes his four-race stretch, Kyle Busch will return to the No. 51 Zariz Transport Silverado at Pocono Raceway.
Corey Heim put the No. 51 in victory lane in last year’s race at WWTR. It was KBM’s third victory across 10 races that have been held at the Missouri track since the organization originated in 2010. Bubba Wallace was victorious in 2014 and Christopher Bell brought home the trophy in 2016.
Jack Wood, Driver Q&A:
This will be your first Truck Series race at a track less than 1.5 miles this year. Are you looking forward to it?
“The 51 team had a lot of speed at Gateway last year and I think our sim time leading up to this week went really well, so I feel like it will be a good race for us. We just have to put together a whole race. We have had great qualifying speed and race speed in the trucks,our pit crew has done a really great job all year, but I just have to do a little better job of putting the races together.”
What does it take to be successful at World Wide Technology Raceway?
“I think you have to be ok with your truck being a little bit on the edge. I think track position is a huge thing there because it is really tough to make up ground once you lose it. Qualifying is going to be important, and the restarts are going to be especially important this week. You have to take care of your truck because you are going to be using up the transmission and using up the brakes. The biggest thing is that you have to stay mentally focused all day and do your job — especially with how hot it is going to be Saturday. I work hard to be in shape and hopefullywith it being a little hotter this weekend that will come into play a little bit.”
Jack Wood Career Highlights:
Has produced three top-10 finishes across 39 career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Posted a series-best ninth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
Has compiled 14 laps led, two top-five and eight top-10 finishes across 14 career ARCA Menards Series events.
Has totaled two top-five and seven top-10 finishes across 11 career starts in the ARCA Menards West Series.
Compiled one top-five and three top-10 finishes across 24 starts in the SRL Spears Southwest Tour from 2017 to 2021.
Jack Wood’s No. 51 Logitech Chevrolet Silverado RST:
KBM-66: The No. 51 Logitech team will unload KBM-66 for Saturday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Wood has earned a pair of top-10 finishes in two starts with this Silverado this year, earning a career-best ninth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway and a 10th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This chassis has been victorious twice in its career, both at Atlanta, winning with Corey Heim last year and with KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch in 2021.
KBM holds the Craftsman Truck Series records for most career wins (99) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway last year, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
With 40 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.
