Story by: Corey Latham ~ corey@RACE22.com

Altamahaw, NC(August 31, 2010) -- Rodney Cook rolled to the win last week at Ace Speedway, but on Tuesday the hammer came down on the former track champion. Cook has been disqualified from last weekends event, putting Barry Beggarly as the winner, and overall, Dustin Rumley as your 2010 champion with one race to go.

Cook was found to have offset spindles on his #14 ride, and after the track checked
 

them they were also checked at two other tracks and by numerous chassis builders before being sent to the ASA headquarters to be checked once more. All the results were the same, and today the ASA gave the word, Cook will be DQ'd with no points being awarded for the last event, which was also a double points race.

Cook knew the decision was coming, but took it in stride.

"I knew something was going to happen when they took them and started having so much interest and they were wrong, we just didn't know it," said Cook. "They actually are offset the wrong way which would hurt us, but by the rules they are not right so we'll just go on, we have had a dream season already, they were no competition advantage at all".

When asked if he would be attending the last event of the season, a 100 lap double points event also, Cook was quick to reply.

"I'm not running away, it is what it is, they have been nit-picking me all season so I'm planning on going over there and winning the last race."

Ace General Manager Brad Allen also had a response to the infraction.

"We had to follow the rules, and that's what we did," said Allen. "We didn't want the season to be decided like this, but if your wrong your wrong, we gave them the benefit of the doubt and had them checked by numerous people, I drove them nearly 700 miles in a weekend myself for people to check, and then they were checked by the ASA, they are simply out of the rules and a competition advantage. The Cook team questioned whether they were a competition advantage and even though all the people that checked them said they were, that is not the point. It doesn't say no offset spindles if they are a competition advantage, it says no offset spindles period."

"It is a bad deal but that's what the rule book is for and we have to follow it. I'm sure they think we are looking for something because they get teched every week, but when you finish in the top 3 every event of the season with nine wins, you are going to be looked at, that goes for any track in the country. Rodney is a great wheelman and I'm sure he will come back strong as ever. We love to see him racing here, but it was a matter of being fair all around and most of all being fair to all our competitors, as they get teched also."

It is definitely a big decision being that it will affect the points race with one event to go, but both sides have their reasoning. One thing that was noticed in talking to both parties was the fact they are ready to get it behind them and go racing, a class act by all involved. While it is big news, it is a part of racing, it just will be magnified by the timing of the year. By early calculations Rumley has to finish 14 spots better than Jason Payne to take the trophy for the year, but anything can happen. The last race should be quite interesting.