NASCAR Team Owner, Hall Of Fame Member Glen Wood Dies At 93

NASCAR Hall of Fame member and longtime Ford team owner Glen Wood, considered a forefather of American stock car racing, has died, his team announced Friday. He was 93.

Wood was co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing based in Stuart, Virginia, which he founded with his brother Leonard in 1950. I was the oldest continuously operating race team in NASCAR, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“It’s with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of team founder and family patriarch Glen Wood this morning,” Wood Brothers Racing said Friday morning in a tweet. “We want to thank family, friends, our small-town Virginia community of Patrick County, as well as everyone in the NASCAR community for their unwavering support.”

In 2012, Wood was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. During the ceremony he said, "I'm proud to have been a NASCAR driver and car owner for the past 60 years, and I'm proud of this great honor, and this is about two families: the Wood family and the Ford family working together, which has resulted in me being here tonight,” the newspaper said.

News of Woods’ passing prompted condolences throughout the NASCAR community Friday morning.

“He was a racing legend, and will be deeply missed by many,” said Ford Cup car driver Brad Keselowski.

Wood lived a full life, said Dale Earnhardt Jr. “His contributions to motorsports are tough to measure. My thoughts are with my dear friend, his brother Leonard and the rest of the family.”

“It’s rare than an entire sport’s history can be seen today through one person, but that’s what we had with Glen Wood,” said NBC’s Rick Allen.

Wood was a legend, innovator and a loyal friend, Ford Performance said Friday. “The Woods are the longest running Ford team in our history,” said Ford Performance. “More important, Glen was a true gentleman and a important part of our family.”

Funeral arrangements are pending, and will be a private family service, Wood Brothers Racing said.

Photo: Glen Wood, 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, speaks to the media during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day at NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 14, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)