Jerry Cook

Jerry Cook (born June 20, 1943) is an American NASCAR modified championship race car driver.^[1] He began racing at the age of 13 and won the track championship at Utica-Rome Speedway in 1969.

Key Information

Jerry Cook
Nationality	United States
Born	(1943-06-20) June 20, 1943 (age 82) Lockport, New York, U.S.
Retired	1982
Debut season	1956
NASCAR Modified Tour
Years active	1968–1982
Wins	341
Best finish	1st in 1971–72, 1974–77
Previous series
1973 1956-1967	NASCAR Winston Cup Series Modified-Sportsman
Championship titles
1971,'72,'74 '75,'76,'77 1972	NASCAR National Modified Champion All Star Stock Car Racing League Champion
Awards
1989 1993 1998 2009 2011 2016	NMPA Hall of Fame NYSSCA Hall of Fame NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers IM Hall of Fame NDM Hall of Fame NASCAR Hall of Fame
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Jerry Cook built his first modified in 1956 to compete at Ransomville Speedway in Western New York, naming Cam Gagliardi as his driver. In 1959 he built a car for Hall of Fame driver Ken Meahl. It was number 38 and that became Cook's career number. In 1962 Meahl totaled two cars, and Cook decided that if he had to fix them he might as well drive them. In 1963, at age 18, he started racing and won his first main event that year at Utica-Rome.^[2]

Cook eventually went to become a six-time champion in the NASCAR Modified series (1971–72, 1974–77). His rivalry with fellow Rome, New York driver Richie Evans is legendary. He retired after the 1982 season with 342 wins.^[3] He stayed with the sport, and helped shape the series.^[4]

In 1973, he attempted to qualify for the Daytona 500 in a No. 07 Chevrolet. In his Daytona 500 Qualifying Race, he spun on lap 44 and finished 25th, failing to make the 500.^[5][6]

Cook served as the Whelen Modified Series' director when it began in 1985, and retired as NASCAR's Competition Administrator in 2015.^[4][7]

• Inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009
• In 1989, he was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame
• Inducted into the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame in 1993^[8]
• As part of NASCAR's 50th Anniversary celebration in 1998, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.^[4]
• NASCAR named him #3 on its NASCAR Modified All-Time Top 10 list.^[3]
• Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2016^[4]
• Inducted in the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame inducted in 2011.^[9]
• Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

• Jerry Cook driver statistics at Racing-Reference

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