Michael Cooper finds himself one win away from standing alone atop the SRO Motorsports America record books. But for the driver of the No. 33 Blackdog Racing Mclaren Artura GT4, the story of this season has never just been about a single number. It has been a decade of building something with one team, a co-driver relationship that has come full circle, and a record chase that is set to make history.
Cooper and teammate Tony Gaples are heading into Road America off the back of a dominant weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, where the pair swept the Pirelli GT4 America Pro-Am podium and Cooper added an overall victory for good measure. Cooper reflected on his season so far, but says he’s more excited about what’s to come.
“I think I’m looking forward to all the races in the second half. We got off to a little bit of a slow start, not finishing two of the first three races. But the races that we have finished in the first part of the season have generally been very strong, so I think that bodes well for the rest of the year. The whole Blackdog Racing team and Tony and I have really outperformed our equipment, and I think we can still fight for wins in the class.”
The result at Road Atlanta lifted Blackdog Racing to third in the Pro-Am standings with 98 points and Tony Gaples also made history of his own. He became the driver with the most number of race starts in SRO America with his 274th outing. Cooper’s overall victory the same weekend tied him with Peter Cunningham atop the all-time SRO America wins list at 43.
“It was just a wild weekend in terms of all the achievements; on Tony’s side, on the teams’ side, and on my side. I think the overall win was just something that kind of came together, fortunately. I always like to grab those when they present themselves. I don’t try to force them, because that’s not our race to run. But it means a lot to the guys on the team and to myself to be the first car that crosses the line. So I think polishing off Tony’s starts record with that overall win was a nice touch.”
With the record now tied, Cooper is careful not to let the milestone become a distraction as the series heads to Road America.
“I’ll celebrate that when it happens. I don’t really focus on it too much. We’ve now tied the record with Peter Cunningham, but I’ve been in the series for a long time. It’s been my home as far as racing goes for a very long time, so hopefully I get that achievement and carry that flag with a lot of pride.”
Forty-three wins is a career’s worth of memories to sort through, and a few still stand out above the rest for Cooper. His first victory with Blackdog came in the rain at Circuit of The Americas in 2015, a result he calls a stake in the ground moment, followed by his first GT3 win at Barber in 2016. But one story from Road America itself has become a favorite in the retelling.
“In 2020, Tony had gone out and gotten a bunch of gag gifts for my birthday and presented them to me in front of the whole team. One of the gifts was a cow suit. I didn’t think we had the speed to win the race that day and so I said I’d wear the cow suit out in Elkhart Lake that night if we won. I think I passed Spencer Pumpelly with less than 10 minutes left in the race, held on for the win and wore the cow suit out to all the local establishments that night.”
That history is inseparable from Cooper’s long tenure with Blackdog Racing. A partnership he credits as much as his own driving for the records now within reach.
“They were already a pretty formidable team when I came along. I appreciate them very much for allowing me the opportunity to drive good cars. You learn over the years that this is a team sport, and having a good engineer, mechanics, and team to get you pointed in the right direction and firing on all cylinders is crucial to being able to win these races.”
With Road America, Barber and Indianapolis remaining on the calendar, Cooper isn’t planning on changing a formula that has carried him through 43 wins so far.
“The approach is always the same. I’ve said this a lot of times over the years, but there might be a little bit of a small percentage change as far as aggression goes, but the approach, the way I tackle a race weekend always stays the same. Whether we’re winning races or we’re not even making the top 20. It’s the same exact approach always and I’m confident in that.”
Road America carries a particular significance for Cooper and Blackdog beyond the historical record chase. As a Chicago-based operation, the Wisconsin circuit functions as something close to a home race. This was something Cooper hadn’t even considered with the record win looming over his head.
“This is really the first time it crosses my mind like that. I think it would be more special. Peter probably wouldn’t feel that way because it’s his home track, and there are some funny stories that tie back into that over the years. The win record is obviously something that I want to achieve, but it’s not something I can really let my mind wander to before it happens.”
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