The livery that that Josh Berry’s #21 Ford Mustang will sport in Darlington during Throwback Weekend promises to be not only one of the most eye-catching ones on the field, but will also pay homage to an epic victory of the past — as well as the largely unsung contributions of those normally out of the limelight.
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Painted in streaks of green and yellow, the vehicle pays homage to the 1965 Indianapolis 500 victory of Jim Clark. Why that particular win and that particular race? Thereby hangs a fascinating story about Wood Brothers Racing, and the link between NASCAR pit crews and Indy racers!
Back in 1963 and 1964, Clark and his team, Lotus-Ford, performed well in the Indianapolis 500 — on the track. But the performance of their pit crew didn’t quite match up. This badly hurt their chances and actually ended up preventing them from winning.
Tire changes during pit stops were rare at the time, and the downfall came through bad refueling strategies. To top it all, in 1965, the promotion made things trickier. Pressurized refueling was banned, and it was mandated that teams had to pit at least twice during the race and refuel both times.
It was at this time that Bobby Johns (a NASCAR driver who was trying to qualify for his first Indy 500) suggested that Lotus try the Wood Brothers Racing pit crew. One thing led to another, and the NASCAR team was soon at Indianapolis.
A closer look at Josh Berry’s Darlington throwback that pays tribute to Jim Clark and his 1965 Indy 500-winning Lotus 38. @BobPockrass | #NASCAR | #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/2kRXPWPgFk
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) March 20, 2025
Ford aligned the Wood Brothers Racing pit crew with Clark, knowing that he had the best chance to win. And the crew not only justified Bobby Johns’ confidence — they hit the ball out of the park during the pit stops. They managed to fuel Clark’s vehicle at significant speed, handing him an extra advantage. During the first pit stop, 50 gallons of fuel were pumped in 19.8 seconds. In the second, 58 gallons were added in 24.7 seconds.
The IndyCar Series fraternity couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. Clark ended up winning the race comfortably after leading 189 of the 200 laps. He had a lead of 118 seconds over second-placed Parnelli Jones when crossing the checkered flag. This experience led to multiple IndyCar Series teams calling for the services of NASCAR teams from 1966 onwards.
Why Wood Brothers Racing decided to use the Clark paint scheme
The team had created a massive impact on how pit stops were viewed in open-wheel racing after 1965. Their role in this massive and historic change is something that they take great pride in.
The idea to celebrate themselves came two years ago from the mind of someone in their marketing department. It was shaped over the next few months and stands well-defined now.
Jon Wood, the team’s president, said, “What Darlington is, is it’s not only a celebration of NASCAR’s past, but motorsports past, and I think we’ve been close-minded to just stick with stock-car throwbacks, so this was a fun one, and I think it celebrates all different disciplines of motorsports, and it branches out more internationally than what we’ve done in the past.”
Thanks to Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing is finally climbing out of a dark pit that it has been in for the last several years. He reached victory lane in Las Vegas and has given his team reason to believe. This homage to one of their finest feats of the past couldn’t have come at a better time.
