POWER STROKE DIESEL BY INTERNATIONAL KANSAS POST-RACE REPORT
 
Series: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Date: Saturday, July 2, 2005
Event: O’Reilly Auto Parts 250
Track: Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas
 
QUALIFYING RESULTS:
1. Bill Lester, Toyota, 173.633 mph
2. Mike Skinner, Toyota, 173.138 mph
3. Todd Kluever, Ford, 172.667 mph
4. David Reutimann, Toyota, 172.634 mph
5. Jack Sprague Chevy, 171.980 mph
20. Terry Cook, Ford, 170.143 mph
 
RACE RESULTS:
1. Todd Bodine, Toyota
2. Todd Kluever, Ford
3. David Reutimann, Toyota
4. Mike Skinner, Toyota
5. Bill Lester, Toyota
7. Terry Cook, Ford
 
About the Race . . .
Todd Bodine returned to Victory Lane after having the dominating truck Saturday afternoon.  Bodine passed Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate, Todd Kluever, with 26 laps to go and moved one position up to 14th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver points standings with his efforts.  The race was marred by several incidents, including Kelly Sutton’s crash.  Sutton flipped the race truck she was driving after hitting Chris Fontaine in turns three and four.  Sutton was luckily uninjured in the incident.
 
Tracking the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team . . .
A championship-caliber team.  That is what Cook continues to say about the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team with ppc Racing.
 
The return of Truck No. 10-08 had its typical weekend, starting deep in the field and practicing well on long runs in both practice sessions the day prior.
 
For nearly the first half of the race, Cook maintained a top-20 position, battling a tight condition with the truck.  Most of the other competitors were having similar conditions.
 
The key turning point of the race came when Cook, then 17th raced leader, Todd Bodine and Tracy Hines, who was running 18th.  At the time, Cook was within truck lengths of being lapped on lap 118.  When Bodine went to the inside of Cook one lap later, it left the inside line open for Hines to pass.  However, spotter, Dan Cagle kept Cook digging and fighting for the 17th position.
 
Hines got alongside of Cook for about half a lap but Hines spun off turn two, bringing out the caution and giving the Lucky Dog award to Cook to get back on the lead lap.  With another fast pit stop by the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International pit crew, Cook was ready to move toward the front on the restart.
 
By lap 160, Cook was back in the top 10.  With a little help from other competitors falling out of the race due to mechanical failures, Cook finished the race in seventh, ahead of NCTS driver points standings leader, Dennis Setzer.
 
"I said it all along, this is what a championship team is made of,” said Cook.  “We just struggled with the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International all day long.  We just couldn't find a handle on it but we never gave up and we kept making adjustments all day long.  Finally there at the end we got it running pretty good.
 
“Something was up with the motor today.  It just wouldn't pull.  I go back to what I've said all along, if we had a Power Stroke diesel engine underneath the hood we would never have any problems but NASCAR won't let us run that.  Nevertheless it was just a good day for the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International crew.  We never give up and today is a perfect example of that."
 
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Driver Points Standings:
1. Dennis Setzer            1744
2. Bobby Hamilton         1706     -38
3. Ted Musgrave            1691     -53
4. Ron Hornaday Jr.       1610     -134
5. Ricky Craven             1597     -147
6. Jimmy Spencer          1487     -157
7. Terry Cook               1562     -182
 
Another Successful Simulator Visit . . .
Cook made a 30-minute visit to the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International simulator Saturday, just hours before taking the green flag at Kansas Speedway.  Race fans lined up for Cook’s autograph and learned more about Paws With A Cause.  Training representative, Diana showed on-lookers the various techniques Demonstration Dog, Dee Dee can do for a future PAWS client.  As a result, twenty-plus PAWS stuffed dogs were sold during Cook’s visit, raising more than $400 alone at the appearance.  To date, more than $10,000 has been raised since 2004 when the “Racing for Independence” program began.
 
Next Race:
Event: Built Ford Tough 225
Track: Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kent.
Date: Saturday, July 9, 2005
TV / Radio: SPEED Channel, 8 p.m. EST / MRN w/ simulcast on XM Satellite Radio, 7:45 p.m.