Wyler Racing

Terry Cook No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota Tundra Preview

Round 13 of 25 – Kentucky Speedway

Kentucky Speedway is the home track for team owner Jeff Wyler, whose Jeff Wyler Automotive Family dealerships are based in nearby Cincinnati. With the close proximity to the family’s home base and the speedway, located just 30 minutes away in Sparta, Kentucky, there are numerous activities planned for the team during the event weekend. The entire team will be at Jeff Wyler Eastgate Toyota in Batavia, Ohio on Thursday for a two-hour autograph session starting at 11:30 A.M. That evening, Terry Cook will serve as the honorary captain for the Cincinnati Reds as they take on the New York Mets at the Great American Ballpark.

With this being the home track for the Wyler family, is the team making any extra effort to give them their first win at Kentucky?

“We never need any reason to want to give them a win any where we go, but with this being a big race for them, yes, it does give us a little extra motivation. There will be something like 250 Wyler Automotive Family associates at the race and we want to put on a great show for them too. It just elevates our game a little. It doesn’t pay any more points than the other races on the schedule. This has always been one of the best paying races on the schedule, so that’s another big motivator for everyone. There’s a lot going on with the team leading up to the race so we’re going to make sure everything we’re doing is right. We spent a couple of days testing at Darlington leading up to this race and I think we learned some stuff there that will help us – not just at Kentucky but at every race throughout the rest of the season.”

You have had some really good runs at Kentucky but have had some really bad luck along the way too. How can one track produce such drastic differences in results?

“I think it has to do with the surface of the track at Kentucky. It changes every time we go up there. For one, it is one of the bumpiest tracks we race on. That isn’t a bad thing at all. It gives the track its character and makes it different than every other mile and a half we race on. They’ve ground on it and the surface has changed every year we’ve raced there. This year we’re going back with the new tapered spacer plate to reduce horsepower, a different gear rule, different tires, and a new aero package. Even though it’s the same track there have been a lot of changes since last July.”

You were a handful of laps away from a win at Kentucky in 2005 when you had a tire go down and ended your day. Does that give you extra reason to come to Kentucky and run well, like the track owes you one?

“It does give me a little more extra motivation. There are a few things I knew were right then and I continue to do those things now. I was trying different lines to find grip, places that I hadn’t ever tried before, and it worked. It was disheartening at the time but you look back on it and you know you did everything right and it was just a fluke reason that kept you out of victory lane.”

You have always been strong on the quirky odd-shaped tracks on the NCTS schedule, but in 2005 something clicked and you’ve been a threat on the 1.5-mile tracks ever since. What happened to get you up front every week on the intermediate tracks?

“The biggest thing I was in some of the best equipment of my career at that time. I figured out what I was looking for as far as feel is concerned. There’s a certain feel you’re looking for when you’re going into a corner at 170 or 180 miles per hour. I almost wish I could pinpoint it. It’s being aggressive on the restarts, trying new lines on the track, places you would never have run before. “

Did the Darlington test give you and John Quinn a chance to try some setups you’ve wanted to try during race weekends but didn’t have time to work on?

“We had a very productive Darlington test. It was the first chance we’ve had as a team to go to a track that has a lot of characteristics in common with the tracks we race on. We went and tested at Pocono when John first took over as crew chief but that was mainly a ‘get to know you’ test, a chance for us to work on communication and see how each other works. We tried a lot of things at Darlington, some new spindles, some new front geometry, things we have wanted to try during the race weekends. We learned a lot too. It should pay off for us, not just at Kentucky but at every race the rest of the year.”

We’re at the middle of the season – looking back at the first half of the year how would you grade the team’s performance?

“I would give us a solid B right now. The bright point is we are in the top ten in points. We might have lost a little ground to the leader but we’re still in the hunt. I think what we need to work on as a team is coming off the trailer better. We spend a lot of time in practice trying to get where everyone else is. That’s a big part of what we worked on at Darlington. It’s not for a lack of effort though, these guys work their tails off every day.”

Terry’s Kentucky Truck: The truck the Wyler Racing team is taking to Kentucky has not been raced yet in 2008. It was tested at Darlington Raceway for two days prior to the Kentucky event.

Terry Cook’s Kentucky Speedway Stats: Terry has 8 career starts at Kentucky Speedway and has recorded three top-10 finishes. Terry’s best finish came in 2002, when he finished in the sixth position. His average start is 14.4 and his average finish is 20.1. He has completed 933 of 1204 possible competition laps (77.5%). He has led 80 laps at the 1.5-mile oval, tallying 78 of the 80 during the 2005 race.


Stratosphere Hotel - The official hotel of Wyler Racing in Las Vegas
	Terry Cook No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota Tundra Preview Round 13 of 25 – Kentucky Speedway Kentucky Speedway is the home track for team owner Jeff Wyler, whose Jeff Wyler Automotive Family dealerships are based in nearby Cincinnati. With the close proximity to the family’s home base and the speedway, located just 30 minutes away in Sparta, Kentucky, there are numerous activities planned for the team during the event weekend. The entire team will be at Jeff Wyler Eastgate Toyota in Batavia, Ohio on Thursday for a two-hour autograph session starting at 11:30 A.M. That evening, Terry Cook will serve as the honorary captain for the Cincinnati Reds as they take on the New York Mets at the Great American Ballpark. With this being the home track for the Wyler family, is the team making any extra effort to give them their first win at Kentucky? “We never need any reason to want to give them a win any where we go, but with this being a big race for them, yes, it does give us a little extra motivation. There will be something like 250 Wyler Automotive Family associates at the race and we want to put on a great show for them too. It just elevates our game a little. It doesn’t pay any more points than the other races on the schedule. This has always been one of the best paying races on the schedule, so that’s another big motivator for everyone. There’s a lot going on with the team leading up to the race so we’re going to make sure everything we’re doing is right. We spent a couple of days testing at Darlington leading up to this race and I think we learned some stuff there that will help us – not just at Kentucky but at every race throughout the rest of the season.” You have had some really good runs at Kentucky but have had some really bad luck along the way too. How can one track produce such drastic differences in results? “I think it has to do with the surface of the track at Kentucky. It changes every time we go up there. For one, it is one of the bumpiest tracks we race on. That isn’t a bad thing at all. It gives the track its character and makes it different than every other mile and a half we race on. They’ve ground on it and the surface has changed every year we’ve raced there. This year we’re going back with the new tapered spacer plate to reduce horsepower, a different gear rule, different tires, and a new aero package. Even though it’s the same track there have been a lot of changes since last July.” You were a handful of laps away from a win at Kentucky in 2005 when you had a tire go down and ended your day. Does that give you extra reason to come to Kentucky and run well, like the track owes you one? “It does give me a little more extra motivation. There are a few things I knew were right then and I continue to do those things now. I was trying different lines to find grip, places that I hadn’t ever tried before, and it worked. It was disheartening at the time but you look back on it and you know you did everything right and it was just a fluke reason that kept you out of victory lane.” You have always been strong on the quirky odd-shaped tracks on the NCTS schedule, but in 2005 something clicked and you’ve been a threat on the 1.5-mile tracks ever since. What happened to get you up front every week on the intermediate tracks? “The biggest thing I was in some of the best equipment of my career at that time. I figured out what I was looking for as far as feel is concerned. There’s a certain feel you’re looking for when you’re going into a corner at 170 or 180 miles per hour. I almost wish I could pinpoint it. It’s being aggressive on the restarts, trying new lines on the track, places you would never have run before. “ Did the Darlington test give you and John Quinn a chance to try some setups you’ve wanted to try during race weekends but didn’t have time to work on? “We had a very productive Darlington test. It was the first chance we’ve had as a team to go to a track that has a lot of characteristics in common with the tracks we race on. We went and tested at Pocono when John first took over as crew chief but that was mainly a ‘get to know you’ test, a chance for us to work on communication and see how each other works. We tried a lot of things at Darlington, some new spindles, some new front geometry, things we have wanted to try during the race weekends. We learned a lot too. It should pay off for us, not just at Kentucky but at every race the rest of the year.” We’re at the middle of the season – looking back at the first half of the year how would you grade the team’s performance? “I would give us a solid B right now. The bright point is we are in the top ten in points. We might have lost a little ground to the leader but we’re still in the hunt. I think what we need to work on as a team is coming off the trailer better. We spend a lot of time in practice trying to get where everyone else is. That’s a big part of what we worked on at Darlington. It’s not for a lack of effort though, these guys work their tails off every day.” Terry’s Kentucky Truck: The truck the Wyler Racing team is taking to Kentucky has not been raced yet in 2008. It was tested at Darlington Raceway for two days prior to the Kentucky event. Terry Cook’s Kentucky Speedway Stats: Terry has 8 career starts at Kentucky Speedway and has recorded three top-10 finishes. Terry’s best finish came in 2002, when he finished in the sixth position. His average start is 14.4 and his average finish is 20.1. He has completed 933 of 1204 possible competition laps (77.5%). He has led 80 laps at the 1.5-mile oval, tallying 78 of the 80 during the 2005 race.