Scott Woodruff, known simply as Woody in drag racing’s inner circle, chuckled a bit when he recalled a colleague proclaimed that he was an MSH guy.
Woodruff had no clue what an MSH guy was or what one did.
When he found out the meaning, he quickly quipped,
“Yeah, that’s me.”
An MSH guy, Woodruff learned, is one who “makes stuff happen.”
“Being a part of the sport for the last thirty years you learn things along the way, how to make stuff happen,” Woodruff said. “You build relationships, and when the situation presents itself, you lean on those relationships to make stuff happen. That’s the name of the game.”
For decades, Woodruff was that man at Jegs. Now he’s rolling as the General Manager with Elite Performance, making stuff happen with their thriving business, fleet of Pro Stockers, and likely fuel in the future.
Woodruff brushes off the praise and focuses on each project to deliver above expectations, regardless of the task.
“I learned a lot from Jeff Byrd at Winston and Bristol Motor Speedway,” Woodruff revealed. “He’s somebody who always said his goal was to exceed expectations, whether it was for a fan, whether it was a partner or anything. You should always try and do that. I’m fortunate that I’ve had the ultimate trust from everybody that I’ve worked for, whether it’s been JEGS, whether it’s been Elite Motorsports. I’d like to think part of that was earned from past successes, and they don’t guarantee anything in the future, but they certainly help you make better decisions. Having people that understood that you need the resources to do the job correctly and made a difference — that’s a big part of it too.”
So, if you ever saw the pageantry of the Jegs All-Stars, or getting the Jegs team on the electronic billboards in Times Square, or let’s not forget the real-life elephants (with PETA’s blessing) at the Chrysler Hemi’s 50th anniversary, you’ve gotten a glimpse of Woodruff’s unconventional approach.
Woodruff’s entry into drag racing came at a young age when he was all-too-willing to accompany his dad on his Father’s Day excursion to the NHRA Springnationals, then at his local track in Columbus, Ohio.
“My dad got to pick out whatever he wanted to do on Father’s Day, and it was always going to National Trails for the Spring Nationals,” Woodruff said. “Growing up, my father was in the investment business and had airplanes in the same hangar as the Trueman family that owned Red Roof Inns and Mid-Ohio and a bunch of other businesses. He was into racing and always thought that was cool, and he just really liked being a fan. Just really liked the competitiveness of it. I would go to Mid-Ohio through the years and watch Can-Am Cars, the IROC series, and Indy Cars.”
When it came to Woodruff’s approach to business, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Just as his dad made stuff happen, his kid inherited the MSH gene, honestly.
Of course, it didn’t hurt Woodruff’s life pathway by befriending Jeggie Coughlin in the sixth grade.
“We became great friends and were exposed to racing a little bit more up close and personal through him, his brothers, and their father,” Woodruff said. “I’m not a person that needs accolades or anything like that. I’m just a driven person who just keeps charging forward to get stuff done.
“And I’ve been amazingly fortunate to be in the situations that I’ve been, whether it’s been JEGS or Elite, and really, the friendship that I have with Richard Freeman is very similar to the friendship with Jeg Jr.”
When Woodruff left Jegs in July 2022, he was immediately scooped up by Freeman’s Elite Motorsports and given the title of Branding and Motorsports Director.
“[Richard] stepped up when my wife and my daughter got burned in a kitchen fire, I remember walking out, and Richard approached me and said, ‘You’re getting on my plane. You’re going home from Houston right now,” Woodruff said. “I remember going outside and seeing the whole team kind of in the back of the cars praying. And that’s something that I will never, ever, ever forget. That’s probably something that drives me internally to work harder. Not because I feel like I owe somebody something. Just because it’s real, it’s not a job. This is a family.”
That’s why when Woodruff decided to resign from his post at Jegs, Freeman was the first person he called. He wasn’t looking for a job; he was just letting Freeman know.
Freeman, who was like many who believed Woodruff would paint the world yellow and black for a lifetime, immediately called BS. Woodruff finally convinced him the call wasn’t a prank.
“He asked me, ‘Okay, well, what are you doing?” Woodruff recalled. I said, “I don’t know.” He said, “Well, you’re coming to work for me,” just basically said. “I am?” He said, “Yep.” I said, “What am I going to do?” He said, “Same thing you’ve always done,” and that was it.”
Woodruff chuckles when he reveals the reality: Since he graduated high school and entered the workforce, he’s never had a job interview yet has been gainfully employed.
“The chemistry I had already through Troy Jr. at Elite helped me to hit the ground running,” Woodruff admitted.
As the sun sets on each drag race outing, Woodruff cannot help but count his blessings.
“I’ve had so many unbelievable experiences and gotten to do stuff that just you dream about as a kid or think about as a kid, whether it’s, I’ve been on the Goodyear Blimp, I drove a bobsled down Lake Placid. I mean, those are two things I thought I would never get to do, let alone see a lot of the great places and meet a lot of great people along the way,” Woodruff said.
“I feel good about drag racing. I think it’s gone through some adjustments and probably will continue just like any other motorsport or any other venue, activity, or entertainment property. Sometimes, I feel like it’s a curse that I was around during the Winston days because you saw what was probably drag racing at one of its heights, if not the height. So, at the end of the day, I feel like I saw success, so I’m comfortable with the fact that it can be repeated again. And that’s a quest every day for people like me, team owners, people that work on teams.
We’re all stewards of this sport, and we should all attempt and try our best to make it better each year, each day. And maybe sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.”
