Terry Cook Battles Tight-Handling Ford Power Stroke® Diesel by International® Truck at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

(CONCORD, N.C.) – Terry Cook and the No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel® by International® race team finished 14th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, battling a tight-handling truck and multiple lead-lap competitors.  Interim crew chief, Wes Ward, worked with Cook to improve the handling, making several adjustments to the ppc Racing backup truck.  After the event, Cook talked about the challenging weekend.

“We only had about eight laps total on the truck before the race started,” said Cook, who matched his 14th-place finish from last year.  “We built a lot of adjustability into the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International truck and made a lot of stops to adjust on it.  That was a good call by Wes Ward at the end to come in and take on tires. We were coming through the pack like a rocket and I thought we were going to get up there in the top 10.  We were as high as 12th and then the truck just gave up.  It was only good for about six-to-10 laps on tires.  We have something to build on here.  If we come out of here with as bad of a weekend as we had with a 14th-place finish, then that’s not too bad.”

Cook pitted under the event’s second caution flag on lap 18 to adjust the handling of the truck.  The Sylvania, Ohio native restarted 33rd and moved up through the field before pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 33.  The Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International team got Cook out in 18.2 sec, another fast stop in ppc Racing’s fifth-career truck event.

“These guys never gave up,” said Cook.  “We struggled since we got here.  The Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International truck was off a little bit tonight but I can guarantee it wasn’t by a lack of effort.  I fought an aero push as bad as I’ve ever had to fight.  The truck was extremely tight behind other trucks.  We’ll work on that and make sure we’re ready for Dover.”

The Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team moved one spot in the driver points standings to eighth and they head to Dover International Speedway on June 4th.  Cook has three, top-15 finishes in four starts at the “Monster Mile” and again looks to stay in contention for the championship title.

Based in Mooresville, N.C., ppc Racing enters its first season of competition in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with driver Terry Cook and the No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel Ford.  ppc Racing continues its competition in the NASCAR Busch Series, its fifth season, with driver Jason Keller in the No. 22 Miller High Life Ford Taurus.  With co-owners Greg Pollex and Keith Barnwell, ppc Racing earned the 2000 NASCAR Busch Series championship and has scored 27 wins and more than 150 top-five finishes as it enters the 2004 season.