(BRASSTOWN, NORTH CAROLINA) It was a long, hard road for the #53 team this past weekend at the Dirt Track at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina in the inaugural ‘Colossal 100.’ After setting the fifteenth fastest time out of the 119 entrants in qualifying, Ray had to retire early from his heat race due to a flat tire and finished tenth as a result. The Brasstown, North Carolina team did not give up; however, as they advanced through the C-Main by virtue of finishing fourth and then through the B-Main by finishing sixth. He rolled off from deep in the starting field for the $50,000 to win, 100-lap A-Main, but his stellar run on Saturday ended prematurely, as Ray exited the event on lap sixteen as a result of bringing out a caution. He was credited with a thirtieth place performance in the race, which boasted a $200,000+ purse.
“We probably passed more cars than just about anybody last weekend, but we didn’t get the kind of finish we were hoping for,” commented Cook on Tuesday evening after returning home from the McDowell-Cook Driving School. “I don’t know what to say about the weekend at Charlotte. I like the idea of having another premier event, because we need it, but those in charge need to visit races like the Show-Me 100, the Topless 100, and the World 100 and take notes on how those events are run.”
“I can deal with the group qualifying like they did it and even the invert, to some point, but being black flagged for bringing out a caution is ridiculous in my mind,” the mild-mannered Cook went on to say. “That is the only event I have ever heard of that you get parked for having a flat tire or stopping for the nose being up under the tire like I did in the feature. I could have gotten that fixed easily and returned to the race and made some more money. They want to make the event fan-friendly, but I think the fans would rather see eighteen or twenty cars finish the race rather than the eleven that did last Saturday night. Aside from all of that, I need to especially thank my product sponsors for supplying me with great parts that held up all weekend long racing on the rough surface at Charlotte. A lot of drivers broke pieces and parts running through the ruts, and we were able to stay away from that, which was a big part of us making the feature.”
The Ray Cook Racing team, with former ‘Show-Me 100’ Champion Ray Cook behind the wheel of their #53 machine, will travel to the Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama this weekend for a pair of events at the place deemed as the “Hornet’s Nest.” The busy weekend will kick off on Friday night, April 28 with an unsanctioned $2,000 to win event. The O’Reilly Southern AllStars Series rolls into town on Saturday night and a big $5,000 payday is on the line. The exciting doubleheader weekend at TST is being run in conjunction with the NASCAR events at the nearby Talladega Superspeedway. For more information concerning these two events, point you web browser to www.talladegashorttrack.com and www.southern-allstars.com.
Ray would like to thank all of his supporters including: Bill Elliott Racing, MasterSbilt Race Cars, Grover Racing Engines, Hamrick’s of Gaffney, Youngblood Concrete Special, Jacky Jones Automotive Group, Engines, Inc., A+ Moving and Storage, James Cook Construction, Arvil Cook Property Investments, Bert Transmissions, BRT Racing Products, Custom Craft Headers, Delph Communications, Demon Carburetors, Design 500, Frankland Racing Supply, JB Performance, K&N Filters, Mason Racin’, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Out-Pace Racing Products, Outerwears, Inc., Oval Craft, Panther Motorsports Design, PPM Racing Products, PRC Racing, Race It, Real Wheels, Schaeffer Oil, Scott Performance Wire, SHY Racing Suspension, and Wilwood.
For the latest news and schedule information concerning the Ray Cook Racing team, feel free to visit their official Internet home at www.raycook53.com.
Media Contact: Ryan Delph – Delph Communications
www.delphcommunications.com
“We probably passed more cars than just about anybody last weekend, but we didn’t get the kind of finish we were hoping for,” commented Cook on Tuesday evening after returning home from the McDowell-Cook Driving School. “I don’t know what to say about the weekend at Charlotte. I like the idea of having another premier event, because we need it, but those in charge need to visit races like the Show-Me 100, the Topless 100, and the World 100 and take notes on how those events are run.”
“I can deal with the group qualifying like they did it and even the invert, to some point, but being black flagged for bringing out a caution is ridiculous in my mind,” the mild-mannered Cook went on to say. “That is the only event I have ever heard of that you get parked for having a flat tire or stopping for the nose being up under the tire like I did in the feature. I could have gotten that fixed easily and returned to the race and made some more money. They want to make the event fan-friendly, but I think the fans would rather see eighteen or twenty cars finish the race rather than the eleven that did last Saturday night. Aside from all of that, I need to especially thank my product sponsors for supplying me with great parts that held up all weekend long racing on the rough surface at Charlotte. A lot of drivers broke pieces and parts running through the ruts, and we were able to stay away from that, which was a big part of us making the feature.”
The Ray Cook Racing team, with former ‘Show-Me 100’ Champion Ray Cook behind the wheel of their #53 machine, will travel to the Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama this weekend for a pair of events at the place deemed as the “Hornet’s Nest.” The busy weekend will kick off on Friday night, April 28 with an unsanctioned $2,000 to win event. The O’Reilly Southern AllStars Series rolls into town on Saturday night and a big $5,000 payday is on the line. The exciting doubleheader weekend at TST is being run in conjunction with the NASCAR events at the nearby Talladega Superspeedway. For more information concerning these two events, point you web browser to www.talladegashorttrack.com and www.southern-allstars.com.
Ray would like to thank all of his supporters including: Bill Elliott Racing, MasterSbilt Race Cars, Grover Racing Engines, Hamrick’s of Gaffney, Youngblood Concrete Special, Jacky Jones Automotive Group, Engines, Inc., A+ Moving and Storage, James Cook Construction, Arvil Cook Property Investments, Bert Transmissions, BRT Racing Products, Custom Craft Headers, Delph Communications, Demon Carburetors, Design 500, Frankland Racing Supply, JB Performance, K&N Filters, Mason Racin’, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Out-Pace Racing Products, Outerwears, Inc., Oval Craft, Panther Motorsports Design, PPM Racing Products, PRC Racing, Race It, Real Wheels, Schaeffer Oil, Scott Performance Wire, SHY Racing Suspension, and Wilwood.
For the latest news and schedule information concerning the Ray Cook Racing team, feel free to visit their official Internet home at www.raycook53.com.
Media Contact: Ryan Delph – Delph Communications
www.delphcommunications.com
