Doug Cooper (born September 9, 1938 in

Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 at the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 20 ...

- September 3, 1987) was a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

driver who competed on the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...

circuit for six seasons from 1963 to 1968. He is best known for winning the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award in 1964.

Racing career

Cooper made his Grand National debut in 1963 at South Boston Speedway, starting and finish in last place in the 22-car field after a head gasket failure on the opening lap. He came back the next race with a career-best 3rd-place finish at

Occoneechee Speedway Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open. It closed in 1968 and is the only dirt track remaining from the inaugural 1949 season. It is located just outside the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina. Site history Occon ...

, a position in which he would finish on two more occasions in his Grand National career. Cooper would have his best season in 1964, as he posted career highs in top fives (4), top tens (11), and average finish (16.4). He tied his career-best finish of 3rd place at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds that season. He ended that season ranked 21st in the standings after competing in 39 of 62 races and was named the NASCAR Rookie of the Year for 1964. Cooper would compete regularly on the Grand National circuit for the next three seasons following his 1964 Rookie of the Year campaign, finishing a career high 19th in the standings in 1965. He would also compete in three NASCAR Modified races in 1965 and 1966, posting two top ten finishes, including a 5th-place finish at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...

. Having competed for his own team for much of his career, Cooper ran eight races for two-time Grand National champion

Buck Baker Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his first race three years later at Columbia ...

in 1967, posting a best finish of 8th place at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. He would compete in just one race in 1968, driving for owner/driver

Henley Gray Clarence Henley Gray Jr. (born January 12, 1933) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1964 to 1977. Career Out of the 76045 laps committed in his career, Gray only led two of them. Gray's total career earning ...

Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...

, finishing in 27th place after a ball joint failure just 206 laps into the 500-lap event. He quietly retired from racing afterwards at age 29, having earned 11 top fives and 29 top tens in 113 career starts on the Grand National circuit.

Death

Cooper died on September 3, 1987, just six days shy of his 49th birthday.

References

External links

*
The Third Turn Profile

Ultimate Racing History Profile

Awards

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Doug 1938 births 1987 deaths NASCAR drivers People from Gastonia, North Carolina Racing drivers from North Carolina