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Cooper, Earl

Auto racing

b. 1886, Nebraska
d. Oct. 22, 1965

Other Resources

Cooper was a man ahead of his time, a race driver who took a methodical, scientific approach to his craft while most others just drove as fast as they could and hoped the car didn't break down. He tested cars and tires meticulously, worked closely with his mechanic to prepare cars, and helped develop hydraulic brakes and pressure lubrication.

A mechanic for a Maxwell dealership, Cooper began his racing career in 1908, when he won a San Francisco race in a borrowed car. He lost his job because one of the drivers he defeated was his boss, so he became a full-time auto racer. In 1912 he joined the Stutz team. The following year he won seven of eight major road races, finished second in the one he didn't win, and claimed his first national championship.

An injury kept him out most of the 1914 season, but he won the championship again in 1915 despite missing the first three months of the season because of illness. Stutz pulled out of racing in 1916 and Cooper again got a late start, finishing fifth in the championship standings. He won his third title in 1917, when the season was shortened because of World War I, and then he retired from racing, although he did enter the 1919 Indy 500.

He returned in October of 1921 to replace Joe Thomas, who had broken an arm practicing for a 200-mile race in Fresno. Cooper won in a close finish with Jimmy Murphy. He was back full time in 1922, and in 1923 he won five races.

Cooper was dogged by bad luck and mechanical problems in the Indianapolis 500. The closest he came to victory was in 1924, when he led after 400 miles. Forced into the pit by a blown tire, he seemed about to take the lead back from Joe Boyer with 30 miles to go, but another tire blew and he had to settle for second place. After two more unsuccessful starts at Indy and another year of retirement, he tried once more in 1928, then retired for good.