Don “Mad Dog” Cook
The best way to sum up who Don Cook was is to say that of all the characters who have been associated with drag racing, Don stood out from them all. One example of what made Don different was that once while walking across the street, a driver failed to stop and hit him, breaking his leg. Typical of Cook, neither he nor the driver had any insurance so Cook silver taped his leg up and went back on the road with the funny car.
Don drove a variety of top fuel dragsters and funny cars over the years, compiling an impressive win record at race tracks all across the country. Don was also one of the most consistent match racers of his time. At one-point time, Cook had teamed up with Jim Nicoll on the “Top Dog I” fuel dragster in which he became the first person to break the 223 MPH barrier. Shortly after Cook made his 223 MPH run, Drag Magazine gave him the title “Mr. 223”. Like all racers, Don was happy with the 223 speed for the day, then he promptly set about breaking it. Before too long, Cook was able to stretch the record to 236 MPH.
With all the exposure Don received driving fuel dragsters, his antics in the funny car wars are what most fans and other races remember him four. Don’s “Southwind Too” funny car was the most memorable of the group. The fact that it had a 230-inch wheelbase made “Southwind Too” longer than any other funny cars of the day, and his choice of a 392 Hemi with a big stroker kit and a “trick” cam gave the car a unique sound, Don Cook was also the man to beat on the funny car match race circuit.
Another unique feature of Cook’s racing program was that he and his wife, Sharon, where the team, and their daughter Shelley was there private cheerleader. Don said ET and MPH strip records at half Moon Bay, Fremont, Wichita, and Kansas and many other tracks from coast to coast. He won Top Eliminator at the World Finals in New York in 1968 and one the Grand American at Marion, Ohio in 1971 in addition to his match race win record.