How did legendary NASCAR team Wood Brothers enter Indy 500 in 1965? All you need to know

The Indy 500 is one of the most iconic racing events in motorsports all across the globe. It has been taking place since 1911 and over the years, has made the careers of some top drivers. It is not only the drivers, who have made their name via the event, NASCAR's Wood Brothers also came into the limelight via the Indy 500.

Wood Brother Racing was formed in 1950 as a stock car team. During those days, they were well-known for their fast pitstops. In the mid-1960s, IndyCar's Lotus came close to winning the Indy 500 but was not able to do so because of its pit crew.

Wood Brothers' arrival at the 1965 Indy 500

In 1965, greater emphasis was put on pit stops as a rule was implemented asking teams to at least pit twice and refuel both times. Pressurized refueling was banned, and only gravity-fed fueling was allowed.

Ford and Team Lotus roped in NASCAR driver Bobby Johns to drive the number 83 car at the Indianapolis 500 in 1965. He suggested to the team to bring the Wood Brothers on board for the 1965 event but was beaten to it by Lotus' other driver, Dan Gurney.

Wood Brothers pulled out a gravity refueling system similar to NASCAR in 1965

While Johns and Gurney tried to get the Wood Brothers crew for their respective cars, they were ultimately put by Ford executives on Jim Clark's team. Following this, the crew spent days going through film and trying to come up with the most efficient way to pit an IndyCar.

Come race day, Jim Clark drove all 500 miles on one set of tires, but the Wood Brothers came into the limelight, for their unique NASCAR-like fueling system. The tanks were on both sides of the car and the crew used two hoses. It is believed that the system helped in pulling off quick refueling as it reduced the friction caused by the wire reinforcement inside the fuel hoses by burying the wire under the surface.

Wood Brothers' super-fast pitstops in the 1965 Indianapolis 500

The Wood Brothers did two pit stops on Jim Clark's Lotus car. At the first stop, they put 50 gallons of fuel into Clark's car and were able to do so in only 19.8 seconds. When it came to the second stop, they pulled it off in 24.7 seconds by putting in 58 gallons of fuel.

Following their pit stop heroics, Jim Clark cruised to victory by leading 189 laps of the 200-lap event. The whole NASCAR community was proud of the Mooresville, North Carolina-based outfit back then. They made an appearance again at the Indy 500 event in 1966 but this time, they were put on Dan Gurney's car.