Cook Was Destined To Race Since Childhood

Jason Cook got his first taste of racing at a very young age, thanks to his grandfather. Becoming a driver someday was inevitable.

“My grandpa started taking me when I was three and it’s always been a mission that I was going to race at some point,” Cook said.

Decades later, the 40-year-old Cook — who lives in Brandon, Minn. — is now an established racing veteran in western Minnesota. Cook has raced in the NASCAR Pure Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Wissota Modified and now the Wissota Super Stocks, mainly at Viking Speedway but also at area tracks like at I-94 Sure Step Speedway.

“I’ve been fortunate to race with some of the best in the business,” Cook said from the pit area at I-94 Sure Step earlier this summer.

He’s near the top all-time in midwest modified wins (19) at Viking Speedway and was the track’s 2005 points champion in the division. For the past decade, he’s found a home in the super stocks, where he has seven wins at the half-mile. The Wissota Super Stocks are running for $1,000 to win at Viking Speedway as the Jerry Kluver Memorial takes place.

Jason Cook goes through turn two at I-94 Sure Step Speedway

“The cost of it seems to be fair,” Cook said of the super stocks. “The rules aren’t to the point where you have to spend $100,000 to be competitive. You can be competitive. We get 50 nights on our motor, we can take it back and get it freshened up and run it again.”

Cook, whose father, Irvin, was a long-time modified and super stock racer at Viking, started in the street stock division way back in 1996, and his remembers his first feature win. That came against Jim Koranda in the street stock class.

“That made me feel pretty good,” Cook said.

Cook, who works in production at Westmor in Morris — has ran well in 2020. He got a win at Viking Speedway on July 25, ending a drought dating back to 2018. He has seven top fives in 10 starts entering this week. Cook trails Trevor Saurer of Dalton by eight points in the standings at Viking Speedway.

Despite the successful year, Cook said the plan is to step away from racing after the 2020 season. His mother, Liz, passed away from cancer on Jan. 25, 2020.

“The plan is to be done in 2020,” Cook said. “My mom (Liz) passed away this winter…it’s one of those things where there are other things in life. This is all I’ve known since I was three years old.”

That doesn’t mean walking away from racing will be easy for the long-time veteran.

“It’s what you do every Saturday night,” Cook said. “It may be time to go and hang out on a pontoon or something. Maybe.”

Driver Profile

Jason Cook

Wissota Super Stock #79

Residence: Brandon, Minn.

Age: 40

Sponsors: Greeley Plumbing & Heating, DHD Trucking, Lake Country Meats, Fastenal of Morris, Centrasota Electric, Prairie Floor Installation, Westmor Industries, Piotter Construction, TRC Race Cars, Tim’s Automotive, Avon - Mary Becker, Schaffer’s Oil - Stu Olson, General Equipment, Capital Sand, Winning Edge Graphics, Napa of Central MN, Turbo Trucking, DCR Shocks, CRP Race Photos, Don Vick Trucking