Top Fuel Driver......Rick Cooper (1 Viewer)

[TJ]

I heard thru the grapevine that Rick Cooper (#2 IHRA T/F-2006) had a good deal lined up to run the IHRA tour w/ the old/ex-Geronimo F/C crewchief making the tuning calls....
I guess they had new pipe/new bullets/etc ready to go...
What a bummer for Rick and Company as Cooper can steer a fuel dragster w/ the best of em......
Last two years only 2-3 laps was he left on...
If he has a competitive car and w/ his reaction times not too many IHRA cars would see much daylight.....

Good luck Rick......

 

[Sully]

Terry,

I'm not sure what your message is - are you saying that Cooper has something lined up, or that something fell through?

I'd love to see Cooper out there this year, he's always done a good job and works well with the fans in the pits and elsewhere.

- Larry

 

[TJ]

Larry......yes he had the deal in place and was about to distribute a press release when the deal fell through.....

I felt that his car was running as good if not better than his last year teammates car and was given little credit in the press. In fact whenever IHRA would promote an up and coming race last year they would print the drivers who'd be in attendance info w/out ever mentioning Rick Cooper...

Some think Rick should be teaching drag school instructor/owner D Foley how to drive in regards to cutting a light and keeping the car in the grove...

If you can read between the lines I think that his car owner from last year might have been keeping Cooper on the outs due to their/his success....

Just my take....

 

[Jory]

Larry......yes he had the deal in place and was about to distribute a press release when the deal fell through.....

I felt that his car was running as good if not better than his last year teammates car and was given little credit in the press. In fact whenever IHRA would promote an up and coming race last year they would print the drivers who'd be in attendance info w/out ever mentioning Rick Cooper...

Some think Rick should be teaching drag school instructor/owner D Foley how to drive in regards to cutting a light and keeping the car in the grove...

If you can read between the lines I think that his car owner from last year might have been keeping Cooper on the outs due to their/his success....

Just my take....

As far as my knowledge of Foley & Lewis Racing goes there was no undermining of any sort going on to keep Rick out of the spotlight. The team was formed and for the most part financed by Doug and Tim. Rick Cooper paid to drive the second car and was fully aware that he was going to play second string to Doug. It was actually a running joke within the team that Rick would probably tree Doug whenever they lined up against each other and that Doug would have to run a number to beat him. And that was usually the way it turned out.

Its too bad that Rick lost his ride but that is the way the drag racing cookie crumbles in some cases. And I dont want to speculate but something tells me that the whole deal with Evan Knoll, Terry McMillen and Foley & Lewis Racing may have been in the works for a while before this decision was made?

Thats just my .02 though

 

[TJ]

Jory...good response but I think you are off a bit...Many drivers pay to play, in fact about 25-40% pay to play which is cheap when you look @ the big picture but I can tell you that COOPER should of been promoted/plugged more by Foley/Lewis.
I know that COOPER was short-changed by that organization and when was the last time you heard about a driver doing as well as he did w/out alot of experience and NEVER getting in over his head? I can only think of one fuel driver that has similiar styles (M. Lucas) and has had alot of success.

COOPER did not lose his ride-from my source...

I am not one to live in the past but if a couple of rounds had gone the other way RICK COOPER would of been the 2006 IHRA T/F CHAMPION.

RICK COOPER needs to be out there in NHRA....

 

[Jory]

Jory...good response but I think you are off a bit...Many drivers pay to play, in fact about 25-40% pay to play which is cheap when you look @ the big picture but I can tell you that COOPER should of been promoted/plugged more by Foley/Lewis.
I know that COOPER was short-changed by that organization and when was the last time you heard about a driver doing as well as he did w/out alot of experience and NEVER getting in over his head? I can only think of one fuel driver that has similiar styles (M. Lucas) and has had alot of success.

COOPER did not lose his ride-from my source...

I am not one to live in the past but if a couple of rounds had gone the other way RICK COOPER would of been the 2006 IHRA T/F CHAMPION.

RICK COOPER needs to be out there in NHRA....

I cant disagree with you at all that Rick should have gotten more props than he did. And its very clear to me that unless youre bringing some kind of funding to the table as a driver the chances of you getting a ride are slim to none. I have been working in the sponsorship/marketing side of the sport for several years now and that is no doubt the reality of it, although the cost of a ride varies quite drastically depending on the quality of that ride.

I was sure that in '05 they announced that Rick would be driving that car through '06 and '07. So what exactly did your source tell you? Did Rick leave the team because he didnt feel he was being treated well for the money he was paying? Just curious.

 

[TJ]

Jory......I will call Rick and see what he has to say about the situation...

There should be more attention w/ Cooper as if an NHRA T/F driver finished #2 in points in 2006 and was not competing in 07 everyone be all over this....