As someone who races as a hobby, Dalton Cook seeks ways to shave seconds from his busy days as much as he does on the track. In addition to fielding and racing his own super late model on dirt, Cook has his own business, Wrap Tech Signz, and is a soon-to-be dad. He found one of the biggest advantages a Pitbox offers is saving time.
“When I was loading up at races, I was making so many trips back and forth to the trailer,” said Cook, 29, of Salem, Alabama. “I noticed how long it was taking to clean up after racing. Then, back at the shop, you make laps just to make sure you’re not missing anything.”
Cook purchased his Pitbox used four years ago. It was originally built for the ARCA Menards Series team that Bret Holmes drove for. Cook said the Pitbox is probably six years old, but looks almost new. In typical Dalton Cook fashion, he added an LED light to the Pitbox that continuously changes colors.
“The lights go along, I guess, with my nickname that everyone calls me, ‘Juiceman’ — I just roll with it,” Cook said. “I like to stand out. I know what it’s like to be fan — you just have to have fun with it.”
He uses the Pitbox both at the track and in the shop. Cook said he keeps the items he uses most in the Pitbox.
Dalton Cook took us on a tour of his Pitbox, as how it was used, at the last Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia.
Cook added a white LED light (in addition to his colored light) to the clamshell lid to light up his workspace atop the Pitbox. The lights plug in to the generator on his trailer. He also attached a battery charger for his power tools. He typically keeps two lug guns, two smaller impact wrenches, and two drills — a small one and a right-angle drill used for tight spots and priming the engine. The workspace also gets used to hold any tools or other items the team needed to put down over the course of the day.Some might call it a “junk drawer,” but think of it more as a miscellaneous drawer. Cook keeps screwdrivers, valve-stem removers, pens, pencils, and tape measures. You can never have enough tape measures.Cook stows most of his electrical tools in this drawer.This drawer features a variety of tools T-handle hex wrenches, drill bills, and long-length sockets.Cook lays out the wrenches in a clear, organized manner — and with good reason. “If you spend more time looking for a tool than the task, that’s bad time management,” said Cook. As a hobbyist racer, he relies on whatever help he can get. This makes it easier for them to find what they need.As with the previous drawer, Cook keeps his larger wrenches organized with dividers.The plumbing drawer contains many of the items needed for working on the numerous oil lines that come with a dry-sump engine. On the left are more spindle sockets, which Cook admits he tends to accumulate, as well as punches that he uses for his homemade wheel covers. In the middle he keeps any extra parts from recent change on the car. After some time goes by, Cook will clear it out as he tries to keep just what he needs for the races in the Pitbox.Cook keeps all his sockets orderly by placing them on posts clearly labeled with their respective sizes.This drawer contains many of the items needed for bodywork, including hammers, a pop-rivet gun, and pop rivets.This cabinet stores some of the bigger items. The top shelf holds items used more frequently than what’s on the bottom, such as a battery charger and shop towels. Cook said his bottom shelf has a mini hardware store, among other items.Cook keeps many of his extra suspension components and ballast clamps in the cabinet located between the wheel wells.The door on the side holds all the various fluids Cook could need on race day. On the bottom, he keeps the battery for his DirtCarLift. He prefers to keep it there rather than in the box supplied by DirtCarLift as it eliminates one extra thing to carry.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
