Ronald Cooper
Encyclopedia
| NASCAR NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr... Busch Series Busch Series The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit... Statistics |
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| 72 races run over 5 years. | ||
| Best Busch Position | 8th (1989) | |
| First Race: | 1988 Goodwrench 200 (Rockingham North Carolina Speedway Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina... ) |
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| Last Race: | 1994 Goodwrench / Delco 200 (Dover Dover International Speedway Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino... ) |
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| First Win: | 1989 Big Star / Nestle 200 (Lanier Lanier Speedway Lanier National Speedway is a 0.375-mile paved oval racetrack just outside of Braselton, Georgia. The track opened in 1982 as a dirt track, and was paved in the mid-1980s. The track is under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner with Super Late Models, SuperTrucks, Junkyard Dogs, Outlaw... ) |
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| Last Win: | 1989 Big Star / Nestle 200 (Lanier Lanier Speedway Lanier National Speedway is a 0.375-mile paved oval racetrack just outside of Braselton, Georgia. The track opened in 1982 as a dirt track, and was paved in the mid-1980s. The track is under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner with Super Late Models, SuperTrucks, Junkyard Dogs, Outlaw... ) |
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| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 1 | 17 | 0 |
Ronald Cooper, (born May 26, 1958 in Statham
Statham, Georgia
Statham is a city in Barrow County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,040 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Statham is located at ....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
) is a former NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver. In seventy-two career Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
starts, Cooper recorded one win and one career top-10 points showing.
1988
Cooper made his debut with his own #56 Buick, and started 1988 with the intent to run all the races. Cooper would only qualify for 25 of the 30 races, but it was a solid season nonetheless. After finishing 18th in his series debut at RockinghamNorth Carolina Speedway
Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina...
, Cooper earned his first top-10 at South Boston
South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway or "SoBo" is a short track located just outside South Boston, Virginia, U.S.A.. SoBo is located approximately sixty miles east of another area familiar to most NASCAR fans, Martinsville. It is owned by Mattco, Inc, the Mattioli family trust that owns Pocono Raceway, with...
, finishing 6th. Cooper would earn three other top-10 finishes on the year, highlighted by his first career top-5 with a fifth at Dover
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
. His qualifying was solid, too, with an outside pole at Lanier
Lanier Speedway
Lanier National Speedway is a 0.375-mile paved oval racetrack just outside of Braselton, Georgia. The track opened in 1982 as a dirt track, and was paved in the mid-1980s. The track is under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner with Super Late Models, SuperTrucks, Junkyard Dogs, Outlaw...
being the best of six top-ten starts. Despite missing five races, and not finishing five more, Cooper finished an impressive 15th-place points finish in the final tally.
1989
Cooper's best career year came in 1989, when he recorded eighth place in the series. The highlight of the season had to be his first (and only) career victory, as he paced the field at LanierLanier Speedway
Lanier National Speedway is a 0.375-mile paved oval racetrack just outside of Braselton, Georgia. The track opened in 1982 as a dirt track, and was paved in the mid-1980s. The track is under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner with Super Late Models, SuperTrucks, Junkyard Dogs, Outlaw...
, his home track. However, Cooper was solid elsewhere, recording four top-fives and ten top-tens. Eight top-ten qualifying efforts also helped the driver to the final points effort, but five DNFs hindered Cooper's effort to move up any higher.
1990
Sadly, Cooper's team began to run out of money, as it was a small family-owned team. Cooper would only make eight starts as a result in 1990. It did not help the team's situation that they struggled early, crashing out of three out of the first four races of the year. The team was solid in the other four, finishing no worse than 16th in the final four starts, highlighted by a fifth place at DoverDover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
. The financial situation did not approve and Cooper's team folded following Dover.
1993
Cooper got his team to restart for three races in 1993, driving the #56 Johnny Cotton Chevy late in the season. The races were solid for Cooper, as he finished 16th, 14th and then 12th at AtlantaAtlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
.
1994
Cooper's #56 team was back for only seven more starts in 1994. Cooper, whose career had been made of saving his equipment, only managed to finish two races on the year. However, they were both solid as he recorded a pair of sevenths at Rockingham and CharlotteLowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
. Cooper's team, though, had to fold again, and Cooper has not raced in NASCAR since.