FEBRUARY 23, 2011
Ray Cook Leases Tri-County Race Track for 2011 Season!

(BRASSTOWN, NORTH CAROLINA) As if being a national Dirt Late Model star on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the promoter of the successful Southern Nationals Series didn't keep Ray Cook busy enough during the year, Ray announced today that he has leased the nearby Tri-County Race Track in Brasstown, North Carolina for the 2011 season. With the possibility that the historic 1/4-mile, dirt oval may not open this season and with the help of a lot of other people, Ray and crew will do their best to keep the track going.

"I grew up going to Tri-County every Friday night when I was about ten years old and ran my first race there when I was fifteen in a Pony car," quoted Cook via telephone today. "There are a lot of racers in this area that need Tri-County to thrive in order to have somewhere to race and hone their skills. Obviously, with me racing full-time on the Lucas Oil trail and promoting the Southern Nationals as well, I am not going to be there every time we open the gate at Tri-County. I have been fortunate enough to assemble a great crew to work at the track; however, as Kip Cochran, Leon Latham, and Brian Kennersley all have a ton of experience."

A big change to the racing program at Tri-County will be the move to Friday nights. There are currently six Saturday night tracks within a two-hour radius of the Brasstown/Murphy area and Tri-County will now be the only Friday night track that will run Super Late Models. In addition to the Super Late Models, Ray will also run the Limited/Crate Late Model, Modified Street, Road Runners/Street Stock, and Mini Stock/Pony divisions.

Initial plans for 2011 call for the five classes to be in action every other Friday night at Tri-County starting possibly as early as March 25. Barring rain-outs and other unforeseen circumstances, Ray is hoping to put together a 15-18 race schedule for the 2011 season. A few practice sessions are also in the works prior to the tentative opening date of March 25.

To include input from all of the racers and race fans in the area, Ray is holding an open forum at the Brasstown Community Center this Monday night, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to show up on Monday to let your voice be heard on topics concerning the Tri-County Race Track. The Brasstown Community Center is located at the entrance to the race track off of Setiwig Road.

More information about the 2011 racing season at Tri-County will be released next week following the meeting at the Brasstown Community Center. A new website is also in the works and will be online and fully functional prior to the start of the season.

"I look forward to the challenge of bringing Tri-County Race Track back to life," Cook went on to say. "Car counts and fan attendance have really dropped in recent years, but I have hope that we can change things around and put on a great program for the fans and racers. It is going to take a lot of work, but with the help of Jack Wimpey and many others who have volunteered their service, maybe we can pull it off!"

If anyone would like to volunteer, sponsor, or help in any way at the Tri-County Race Track this year, please do not hesitate to contact Ray Cook at 706-835-7503 or rpaocook@frontier.com.