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MasterSbilt house car is ride of lifetime for Cook
By Joshua Joiner
DirtonDirt.com staff writer
Ray Cook's car at the Heartland Auto Racing Show. (brendonbauman.com)
Ray Cook believes he’s still capable of contending on a national tour and competing for crown jewel victories. He’ll have the chance to prove it in 2014 when he returns to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as the driver of the MasterSbilt Race Cars house car.
Cook, 42, of Brasstown, N.C., was announced Saturday as the new driver for Keith and Tader Masters’ house car program, replacing Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., who in October left the team to drive for Clint Bowyer Racing.
The red-and-black No. 53 sponsored by Optima Batteries and Seubert Calf Ranches gives Cook a chance to return to national touring for the first time since 2011, when limited funds and limited equipment forced him to drop off the Lucas Oil Series early in the season. Since then, Cook has found success running mostly a regional schedule while also focusing on his duties as promoter of both the Schaeffer Oil Southern Nationals Series and the Spring Nationals tour and as owner of Tri-County Racetrack in Brasstown.
“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime being able to drive for those guys. The people who have driven for them is certainly a who’s who in our sport,” said Cook, a past winner of both the Show-Me 100 and Hillbilly 100. “I definitely think we can still line up against anybody, and I think we can win any race we show up at. If I didn’t think I could, there wouldn’t even be a need in doing this.”
Cook has long had ties to the Crothersville, Ind.-based MasterSbilt program. Since first switching to MasterSbilt cars in 2002, Cook has driven the cars nearly exclusively over the past decade. He’s maintained a close relationship with the Masters during that time, with the Masters even loaning him his current two chassis.
While Cook’s current cars are virtually the same as the cars he’ll drive with his new team, the move to house car provides plenty of benefits for the veteran driver.
“It’s basically the same cars and same engine package I’ve had,” said Cook, who plans to continue operating his own race team to compete in select events. “This biggest thing that separates race teams these days is the engine package and the people you have standing at that truck when you get back in after race. That’s the thing right there; I’ve got the same engine they’ve got, but they’ve got more of them. And you’ve got two of the best there working on your cars. I’d put Keith and Tader against anybody.”
As great an opportunity as driving the MasterSbilt house car is for Cook, taking the ride wasn’t an easy choice. Along with his strong family ties and his involvement with his church, Cook has also expanded his race promoting ventures in recent seasons. Having to miss extended time from either of his two series or the racetrack would’ve made taking the ride difficult, but it appears conflicts will be minimal.
“I’ve got mixed emotions about it,” Cook said. “When Tader asked me about doing it, I told him first I wanted to talk to my wife and kids and pray about it just to see if that’s something I wanted to do and needed to do.
“As far as our series and the racetrack, I laid our schedules from last year down against this year’s Lucas Oil schedule, and they don’t conflict against any Spring Nationals races, and we’re gonna move the Southern Nationals forward one week. With the racetrack, I think there were only three or four dates that conflicts with it. I’ve got really good help there that do a great job taking care of things.”
Even with a strong support to keep things running smoothly in his absence, Cook knows a return to national touring will make for a busy 2014 season. But he looks forward to the challenge of once again proving he’s capable of competing with top competition every week.
“It’s worth it because running Lucas Oil or World of Outlaws or whoever it is when it’s a national tour, you know you’re racing against the best,” Cook said. “It’s gratifying when you go and compete with them guys. When you run good, you know you’ve done it against the best there is. That’s why I’m really excited about it.”
