Administrator

The Iowa native was one of the most passionate and effective administrators in motorsports history. A one-time crewman and first employee of the United States Auto Club (1956), Cooper later became one of only two men, with Joie Chitwood III, to serve as president of both Indianapolis Motor Speedway (1979-82) and Daytona International Speedway (1987-90). Cooper also served as International Speedway Corporation’s VP/Corporate Development, Ontario Motor Speedway president (1971-72) and chairman of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS). In those roles he touched virtually every form of motorsports and left them better than he found them. Among the milestones in the Northwestern grad’s career were helping USAC stage its first race, bringing the Brickyard 400 to IMS and crucial lobbying in D.C. that helped save racing during the 1973 oil crisis. “He was one of those individuals with a lifetime of involvement in our sport, and at all levels,” said 1990 inductee Mario Andretti, “in everything from Midgets to sprint cars, and a leading decision-maker at the top levels of NASCAR and IndyCar.”