Rutledge Wood Living His Racing “Dream” in GR Cup

Photo: Rutledge Wood Instagram

Television presenter and Toyota ambassador Rutledge Wood said his four-event Toyota GR Cup North America program with Precision Racing LA is about living his “dream of being a race car driver” while also highlighting the talent of his fellow competitors this season.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, Wood will compete in a hefty racing program with the Los Angeles-based team, making appearances at the GR Cup rounds at Road America, Barber Motorsports Park, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course after his series debut this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas.

While this weekend marks Wood’s official professional racing debut, he has had previous competitive experience in Toyota machinery, having won the 2013 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race hosted at the Long Beach Grand Prix alongside Adam Carolla in a track-modified Scion FR-S.

“For me, this is definitely about living this dream of getting to be a race car driver to show people how accessible this series is,” Wood told Sportscar365.

“Four different weekends and the four tracks are all so different. I really wanted to experience this as big as I could. I’m having a great time so far, that’s for sure.

“I had done the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race and I won that. I did it a total of five years in a row and I felt like that was the highest racing I’d ever get to do, and it was so fun.

“I’m going to try to find some different ways to highlight some of the talent because really the future of sports car racing is in this series. The talent is just immense. It really is. And the cars are so fun.

“I want to be able to be on a microphone next year, and the year after, and the year after, talking about how I had a chance to race with Spike [Kohlbecker] before he got into this series, or whoever. I just think it’s I think it’s such an incredible group.

In preparation for this weekend, Wood turned testing laps in his GR Cup car at a Chin Track Day event at the Austin circuit as well as at Eagles Canyon Raceway in the Lone Star State, a program he intends to emulate as much as possible ahead of his remaining three race weekends this season.

“Everybody has been so helpful,” said Wood. “People really want you to learn and to succeed and that’s really special.

“They really wanted me to understand the dynamics of the car, where the edge is, and to try to get this car in yaw and right at that razor’s edge.

“For someone that likes drifting as much as I do, it’s also very challenging, because the point that you’re trying to get to with drifting is the point that you do not want to hit here.

“But I do think the parking lots I’ve played around in have definitely helped save me a couple of times here. The good news is I’ve got pretty decent car control. I’m also working on getting a sim together.”

Throughout the season, Wood will be coached by Ryan Eversley as he contests not only the eight GR Cup rounds on his schedule but also the WWEX Group Legends Cup, for which he is recently eligible, having turned 45 earlier in the week.

While Wood aims to improve and achieve positive results on track this season, he also says he is focused on enjoying his time in the GR Cup paddock and on simply having “a great time” behind the wheel.

“The reason that this [series] exists, obviously, is for people to do well, but if you’re not having fun, you’re not going to do well. So I want to have a good time and I want to do well.

“Man, it’s hard. You’ve got to really work. I know this is my first race weekend. I definitely know I will improve as the year goes on. I just want to have a great time, and turns out I get to do some great wheel-to-wheel racing with my friends, it’s going to be awesome.

“I want to bring it back in one piece. I joke I want to beat my boss, Andrew Gillen, but my pride does not exist in that car on that racetrack. I’m not trying to show a 15-year-old that I think I’m better than them or anybody else.

“It’s also been really neat to walk around the paddock and see other people that know me from Top Gear or wherever and be excited for me. That is a really special thing.”