Terry Cook Finds Power Stroke Diesel 200 Tough To Handle

(CLERMONT, Ind.) – Terry Cook had hoped for a better finish in the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP).   The 2002 winner struggled all night in the No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race truck and was as high as fourth near the mid stages of the event.  Cook picked up one position on the final lap to finish 14th in his eighth-career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at IRP and first with ppc Racing.

“I think ‘struggle a little bit’ is an understatement,” said the nine-year series veteran.  “We have just not been good since we unloaded.  We went down to Greenville, S.C. and tested all day on Wednesday.  We did everything to capitalize on a good run here tonight but we were terrible from the first lap to the checkered flag.  We’ve struggled on the short tracks this year but it’s not from a lack of effort.  We’ll go back to the shop, reanalyze the truck and test somewhere else to get our short-track program back on track.”

Cook started from the 20th starting position and true to form, moved up through the field.  The Sylvania, Ohio native was 14th on lap 31 before making his first pit stop of the evening on lap 36 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment prescribed by crew chief Jamie Jones.

Cook restarted 25th with only a handful of teams taking advantage of the third caution flag period.  The event restarted on lap 41 and went another 30-plus laps under the green until lap 76 for an accident in turn one.  Jones called Cook down pit road under the caution flag only this time taking fuel.  Jones used pit strategy to gain positions on the .686-mile short track and placed Cook in fourth on the lap-83 restart.

Cook held a top-10 position until lap 100, slipping back to 15th before making a third pit stop on lap 105 under the caution flag.  He restarted 25th and slowly picked off one competitor at a time under the event’s longest green-flag period for 60-plus laps.

Cook stayed out on the track and restarted 15th on lap 195.  He was battling several competitors when a group of trucks began wrecking in front of him coming to the checkered flag.  Cook never gave up and picked up one position to finish 14th, the first competitor one lap down.

“I was trying to race the 21 back to the line and we were coming down to the start-finish line dead even,” said Cook.  “I just had to stay in the throttle to get to the start-finish and they were wrecking in front of us.  We beat the 21 but the 46 hit the wall and I got into him as I was trying to pass the 21 to the line.  The right side had a bunch of damage but we beat the 21 and that was the most important part.”

Cook and the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International team head to Nashville Superspeedway for next Saturday night’s Nashville 200 event in Lebanon, Tenn.

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 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team.  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.