TERRY COOK MARTINSVILLE POST-RACE REPORT

Series: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2005
Event: Kroger 250
Track: Martinsville Speedway
City: Martinsville, Va.

QUALIFYING RESULTS:
1. Bobby Hamilton, Dodge, 95.098 mph
2. Todd Bodine, Toyota
3. Jack Sprague, Chevrolet
4. Ricky Craven, Ford
5. Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet
13. Terry Cook, Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford, 94.167 mph

RACE RESULTS:
1. Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet
2. Ricky Craven, Ford
3. Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet
4. Todd Bodine, Toyota
5. Chad Chaffin, Toyota
10. Terry Cook, Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford

About the Race . . .
Bobby Labonte won his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday afternoon, becoming the 12th different driver to win in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series. Labonte started fifth and rarely was out of the top 10 throughout the race. Labonte held off a charging Ron Hornaday Jr. and Ricky Craven to win by .257 sec., the closest NCTS finish at Martinsville Speedway in 10 races.

Tracking Terry Cook . . .
Terry Cook and the Power Stroke Diesel by International race team were very optimistic after the lone practice session Friday morning. Cook and the team worked on race setups the entire session using only one set of tires. This left two sets of sticker (fresh) tires available for the race. No other team positioned themselves like this for the race and the move paid off on race day.

Cook started 13th and grabbed three positions in the first two laps as the drivers freight-trained one another to protect the bottom / inside line. Cook found throughout the race the top groove had no grip, leaving the bottom line the preferred way around the race track.

Cook was running ninth when he made his first pit stop under the fifth caution flag on lap 61. The Power Stroke Diesel by International pit crew was flawless, changing four tires, adding fuel and making a few minor adjustments to the truck to get Cook back on the track in the top 20. Several drivers stayed out knowing their situation with tires, however, Cook was on fresh tires and ready to haul the mail on the restart.

One by one Cook moved up closer to the leader and by the race’s midpoint, Cook was back in the top 15. The seventh caution flag came out on lap 135 and Cook was called to pit road by Crew Chief, Rick Gay. Again another flawless pit stop was undertaken by the Power Stroke Diesel by International pit crew with Cook restarting in the top 20.

With just over 30 laps to go, Cook restarted 14th and pressed harder than ever to get to the front. Bumping and banging were seen every lap with Cook taking 10th on lap 234. The nine-year series veteran was sandwiched between two former champion drivers Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague and on the final lap, Sprague tapped Cook in turns three and four. Cook twisted and turned the steering wheel to hang onto the truck and crossed the line 10th to move into the top-10 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver points standings.

“This is the second top 10 in a row of the 2005 season,” said Cook. “This gives us something to build on, more momentum for this Power Stroke Diesel by International race team. Martinsville was the first short track race of the year and we had a decent qualifying effort which helped us finish 10th. We learned a lot that we can build on for Gateway later in the month because Gateway is a lot like a short track except it really is a big track.”

Cook on the two pits stops at Martinsville . . .
“The Power Stroke Diesel by International race team did a flawless job. The race was 250 laps and I can’t tell you the number of times at Martinsville where all heck breaks loose with 20 or 30 laps to go. Fortunately today we were in the right place at the right time and able to capitalize on the situations and salvage a top-10 finish.”

Cook on the competition level in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series . . .
“The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is like the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series; it is just so tough. When you send a guy home like Darrell Waltrip with the amount of credentials he has at Martinsville and he qualifies 24th but goes home, that’s a tough pill to swallow but that’s the new qualifying rules. Everybody knew it. Darrell knew it so that’s why he tested at Martinsville for two days before the race. Guys like Brendan Gaughan, who two years ago won six races and was dominant in the trucks, now misses two races in a row. It gives you an idea on how tough the competition is today. You had a lot of Cup drivers in the race: Labonte, Harvick, Schrader. When you can come out of here with a top 10 you’ll consider this to be a good day. It’s not acceptable for the Power Stroke Diesel by International race team, however, because we want to win but with the day we had we’ll take the top 10.”

Cook on the beatin’ and bangin’ all day long . . .
“There was a lot of bumping and banging though all day long. It’s a typical short-track race at Martinsville. I’ve been a conservative driver over the years and I don’t like to rough people up but I’ve come to Martinsville and been mister nice guy so I’ve decided over the last couple of years to give back what people give to me. I’ll race them like they race me. Guys like Ted Musgrave, Johnny Benson and others will race you the way you race them. They’ll race you clean but there are guys that will rough you up and you need to rough them up right back otherwise they’ll continue to do so week after week.”

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES DRIVER POINTS STANDINGS:
1. Bobby Hamilton, 633
2. Ricky Craven, 614, -19
3. Ted Musgrave, 606, -27
4. Ron Hornaday Jr., 587, -46
5. Jimmy Spencer, 580 -53
10. Terry Cook, Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford, 498, -135

NEXT RACE:
Event: Ram Tough 200, No. 5 of 25
Track: Gateway International Raceway
Date: Saturday, April 30
TV: SPEED TV, 8 p.m. EST
RADIO: MRN and XM Satellite Radio, 6:45 p.m. EST