PITTSFIELD, Maine — The 2021 Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Modified champion Max Cookson is preparing for his Super Late Model debut at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, April 24.
When a former iRacing champion steps away from his computer to win a touring series title in his first full season of actual racing, it shows natural talent. When he goes out and wins six races on what has become one of the most competitive tours in New England, he’s accomplished what few could achieve.
This year, it’s time for a new challenge.
The Maine native is making a move to Super Late Models after his successful campaign on the open-wheel tour.
“I feel like I have a lot of high expectations surrounding my debut,” Cookson said. “But really, I’m just very excited to get out into the big pond so to speak and see where we stack up. I know we’ll have a lot of learning to do with a whole new car in an ultra-competitive division, but we’re ready to get started.”
Cookson went on a tear last year in the PASS Mods after the series experienced an unexpected growth spurt over 2020.
Despite the increased level of competition, the young athlete from Pittsfield knocked out six wins, 10 top-fives and 12 top-10 finishes in his 13 starts.
“I think the success we enjoyed last year kind of helped carry us through the winter,” he added. “But this year, in week one, we could have all the wind taken right out of our sails. I definitely think we’re prepared, so we’ll just go into the new season with realistic expectations and hope it turns out alright.”
Now the speeds pick up, the need for a perfect chassis setup becomes paramount and that high level of competition gets even higher. Yet Cookson is ready for it, cautiously optimistic and eager to learn.
“I think with everything being all new to us, the biggest thing will be learning the car, adapting to new setups and a different driving style,” he explained. “But I feel like we’re ready for that and I’ll just have to adapt to it all. I think once I’m comfortable in the car, we’ll be able to work at it and get it dialed in.”
Oxford Plains Speedway will open its seventy-third consecutive season of racing on April 24. Teams throughout western and central Maine are gearing up for the premier Super Late Model division.
Max Cookson Racing will field a Distance chassis this year, powered by a GM 604 Crate engine.
“We all know the strong record Distance cars have at Oxford, so I think we’ll have a strong piece,” he concluded. “Our goals include winning the Rookie-of-the-Year award and to learn as much as we can. It’ll be a whole lot tougher to do what we did in the mods, but we’re going to give it our best shot.”