02-11-2004 | NASCAR

Terry Cook, the most consistent NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver at Daytona International Speedway, won the Bud Pole for Friday's Florida Dodge Dealers 250 with a fast lap of 183.643 mph over the 2.5-mile high banked superspeedway.

The pole was Cook's eighth but first since last August at Indianapolis Raceway Park, a short track.  Cook's pole run on Wednesday evening in the No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel Ford, came in the series debut for ppc Racing, a former NASCAR Busch Series championship team. His crew chief, Fred Wanke, collected the top qualifying spot two years ago with Ted Musgrave. 

Cook's Ford F-150 is the first non-Dodge truck to win a Bud Pole at Daytona. In four starts, Cook never has finished out of the top 10. His worst finish, ninth, came in last year's race.  All four series manufacturers - including newcomer Toyota - held one of the top four qualifying spots for Friday's 100-lap, 250-mile race. Raybestos Rookie Chase Montgomery, at the controls of Bobby Hamilton's No. 8 Dodge, qualified on the outside front row. The No. 3 spot went to defending series champion Travis Kvapil in his LINE-X Toyota Tundra. Dennis Setzer took fourth in Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet. 

Rick Crawford, who beat Kvapil by .027 -second in last year's race, was a disappointing 31st in his Circle Bar Motel & RV Park Ford. [High Sierra Photo]