NASCAR Hall of Fame, Class of 2016
Jerry Cook made his name in modifieds, winning six NASCAR Modified championships, including four consecutively from 1974-77. All the while, he was vying with another driver from his hometown of Rome, New York, nine-time champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans, for supremacy in NASCAR’s open-wheel realm. The rivalry was homegrown — and intense.
Born: June 20, 1943
Hometown: Rome, New York
Championships (6)
Modified: 1971, ’72, ’74, ’75, ’76, ’77
Modified Series Stats
Competed: 1963-82
Starts: 1,474
Wins: 342
Poles: 26
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.