Jon Wood knew Saturday's Kroger 200 was going to be a difficult battle before it even started. As he drove the No. 21 BUSH'S BAKED BEANS/WOOD BROTHERS RACING MUSEUM Ford during the warm-up laps, the brake pedal went to the floorboard. Despite the problems, Wood wrestled with the Wood Brothers/JTG-prepared Ford F-150 to a 16th-place finish at the historic Martinsville Speedway.

Wood not only got the car to the finish line, he managed to keep it on the lead lap. To do it, he had to pump pressure into the brake system every time he drove the truck into the first and third turns.

Wood now has seven Top-16 finishes since returning to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series eight races ago.

Wood will step aside for next Saturday's Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts 200 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway so racing legend Mark Martin can make his final start of the 2007 season for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. Wood will return to the No. 21 Ford for the final three races of the season, starting with the Nov. 2 race at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Jon Wood, Driver No. 21 BUSH'S BAKED BEANS/WOOD BROTHERS RACING MUSEUM Ford F-150: "It's never a good feeling to hit the brake pedal during the warm-up lap and have it go straight to the floorboard," Wood said."That's what happened with us. Brakes are always an issue at Martinsville, but it's really unusual for it to be a problem before the race starts.

"Everyone on this Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team worked throughout the race to make it better. I had to pump up the brakes on every lap, but we got through it. By the end of the race, we were one of the best trucks on the track. The short tracks have been our weakest link, but this one was a real puzzle to us. Now we get to close out the year on four speedways. We're going to do everything we can to get this No. 21 in Victory Lane before the season's over."