In 1950, Wood and two of his brothers, Glen and Delano, purchased a 1940 Ford, which was later modified and used in NASCAR, and the team made its first start in a Lincoln at Martinsville Speedway on May 17, 1953. Wood was the team's engine builder, and the team's pit crew, originally composed of family and friends, became the first team in NASCAR history to record a 25-second four-tire pit stop. Wood stated that in 1960 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he noticed that Fireball Roberts', had the lead at the time, pit crew took 45 seconds to change two tires and fuel; Roberts' team was using a four-prong lug wrench, so Wood's team decided to use power wrenches, which cut down the time to 25 seconds. Wood later modernized the floor jack; originally, jacks weighed between 70 and 80 pounds, and required at least ten pumps for tire clearance. Wood disassembled the jacks and installed larger pistons, leading to only two to three pumps to clear. In 1965, Wood's team was hired by Jim Clark to pit for him in the 1965 Indianapolis 500, which went on to win. The team used a modified fuel can to make the gas flow faster.