Jerry Cook

Jerry Cook made his name in modifieds, winning six NASCAR Modified championships, including four consecutively from 1974-1977.

Inducted: 2016
Position:Driver

Vitals

Hometown

Rome, NY

Born

06/20/1943

PREMIER SERIES STATS

Championships

6 Modified
(1971, 1972,1974, 1975, 1976,1977)

Competed

1963-1982

Starts / Wins / Poles

1,474 / 342 / 26

One of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers

Jerry Cook made his name in modifieds, winning six NASCAR Modified championships, including four consecutively from 1974-1977.

All the while, he was vying with another driver from his hometown of Rome, N.Y., nine-time champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans, for supremacy in NASCAR’s open-wheel realm. The rivalry was home-grown—and intense. Modified racing is NASCAR's oldest form of competition—the staple of the very first NASCAR season in 1948. Cook has said the cars’ appeal was based on that history and the fact that the racing is unique within NASCAR. After retiring from racing in 1982, Cook stayed with the sport and helped shape the series known today as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Cook served as the series’ director when it began in 1985 and remains with NASCAR as competition administrator. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

Jerry Cook built his first modified when he was 13 and eventually transitioned into the driver’s seat. He found early success in the division’s Northeast tracks, including the one closest to his home, Utica-Rome Speedway. There he earned 19 victories and claimed the track championship in 1969. Here he is seen at the track in 1964. Photo courtesy of Jerry Cook.

In order to win the national championship in the NASCAR Modified Division, Jerry Cook ran nearly 100 races in one year. Some of his signature wins took place outside of the Northeast, including his first major victory, the 1969 Dogwood 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. On that same track, Cook earned six more victories during his career, including his win pictured here in 1970. Photo courtesy of Jerry Cook.

Jerry Cook’s experience behind the wheel proved invaluable as he reformed the regional NASCAR Modified Division into what is now the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, adding a new points structure. He served NASCAR for over 30 years in various capacities. Photo by Tyler Barrick/Getty Images for NASCAR.