Race Weekend Central

Wood Brothers Racing Retains Go FAS Racing’s Charter, Go FAS Acquiring New One

Wood Brothers Racing will reuse Go FAS Racing’s charter and Go FAS will acquire a new charter for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season.

Last year, the Wood Brothers team leased Go FAS’ charter and used it to guarantee Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Ford into every race. Go FAS leased the No. 44’s charter from Richard Petty Motorsports.

The No. 44 charter will be used by Petty for Darrell Wallace Jr. and the No. 43 this year, while the charter Petty used last year is in the hands of Rick Ware Racing for this season.

On Monday (Jan. 15), the Wood Brothers released a statement saying it has formed a partnership with Go FAS Racing co-owner Archie St. Hilaire, which will allow the No. 21 with Paul Menard to continue to use the charter without having to purchase it from Go FAS Racing.

“This charter is a game-changing step for Wood Brothers Racing. It’s the critical piece needed to thrive as a top owner in our sport,” said Len Wood, co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing. “We have been fortunate enough to have extremely fast cars and are blessed with the best sponsors in NASCAR. Pair that with our support from Ford and nearly every piece is in place. … For 2018 and beyond, we’ve taken it a step further and entered into a partnership, and we think it will be a rewarding endeavor for everyone involved.”

Go FAS Racing says it will compete with a charter this year as the team embarks on its second season with Matt DiBenedetto as the full-time driver of the No. 32. RACER’s Kelly Crandall tweeted on Tuesday morning that the team will use Circle Sport owner Joe Falk’s charter this year.

Falk used the charter for the Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group entry, which fielded Jeffrey Earnhardt in 34 races last season. That partnership ended last month, and TMG is currently an open team.

The Wood Brothers made the playoffs last season and finished ninth in the owner’s championship. This boosted the charter’s value from 2016 when Go FAS Racing ended up 38th. Under NASCAR’s charter agreement, the better a chartered car performs, the higher the revenue that team will earn.

“The security that the charter brings through this partnership will allow us to place all of our focus on winning races, making the playoffs and fighting for a championship,” Wood said. “We’re looking forward to getting back to racing and competing against the best teams and drivers in the world.”

About the author

John Haverlin is Frontstretch's exclusive IndyCar editor and writer. He has covered American auto racing's various forms, including NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, Truck, K&N, Whelen Modified, IndyCar, Mazda Road to Indy, USAC, Modified Touring Series, World of Outlaws, ARCA and ACT Tour. He is a graduate of Arizona State University and currently resides in Long Island, New York.

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