The Cooper Cast Podcast

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The Cooper Cast Podcast

Dale Blankenship

110 episodes

1 day ago

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast, broadcasting once again from Cooper Cast HQ with host Dale Blankenship and an ailing—but still on duty—Producer Kodi, proving that the show must go on… preferably with snacks and naps. In this episode, we start by talking through some early plans for 2026 for the Hampton Roads club MINI group. These are ideas that are working, scaling well, and might be worth borrowing for other growing MINI clubs looking to strengthen participation, keep members engag...

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Places & Travel,

Society & Culture,

All content for The Cooper Cast Podcast is the property of Dale Blankenship and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast, broadcasting once again from Cooper Cast HQ with host Dale Blankenship and an ailing—but still on duty—Producer Kodi, proving that the show must go on… preferably with snacks and naps. In this episode, we start by talking through some early plans for 2026 for the Hampton Roads club MINI group. These are ideas that are working, scaling well, and might be worth borrowing for other growing MINI clubs looking to strengthen participation, keep members engag...

Show more...

Places & Travel,

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/110)

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 110:Local Wins, Twisty Roads, and Bringing It Back Home

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast, broadcasting once again from Cooper Cast HQ with host Dale Blankenship and an ailing—but still on duty—Producer Kodi, proving that the show must go on… preferably with snacks and naps. In this episode, we start by talking through some early plans for 2026 for the Hampton Roads club MINI group. These are ideas that are working, scaling well, and might be worth borrowing for other growing MINI clubs looking to strengthen participation, keep members engag...

1 day ago

28 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 109:Shifting Gears: EV Reality Checks and the MINI Community Crossroads

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast, with host Dale Blankenship and an under-the-weather (but still supervising) Producer Kodi, who bravely powered through despite feeling a little rough. We kick things off with a look at slowing EV sales and what that means for MINI, including a significant production shift involving the Countryman EV. Dale shares perspective on what’s happening in the broader market, why automakers are adjusting plans, and how this could impact MINI owners and future bu...

6 days ago

19 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 108: Facebook group ramblings, Taillight options for 3rd gens& The Bigger MINI Picture.

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast, with host Dale Blankenship and his ever-watchful sidekick, Kodi Monster, holding down the studio and the snack budget. This episode starts where so many MINI conversations begin these days: Facebook groups. Dale shares some of the things we regularly see floating around in MINI groups — good advice, questionable advice, repeated myths, and the occasional head-scratcher that reminds us why context and experience still matter. From there, we shift into s...

1 week ago

21 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 107:Battery Brains, Club Notes, and Community Voices

Welcome back to another episode of The Cooper Cast Podcast, with host Dale Blankenship and his trusty sidekick, Kodi Monster—faithful, furry, and always ready to supervise from the nearest nap spot. This week, we dig into a topic that doesn’t sound exciting at first… but absolutely matters: registering a replacement battery in your MINI. Dale breaks down why this step is so important, what can happen if you skip it, and how failing to do it can lead to a long list of headaches you defin...

2 weeks ago

19 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 106; So You Bought the MINI… Now What & The Question the Week answers

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast, the FUN podcast for the MINI motoring community, with host Dale Blankenshipand his ever-faithful, treat-eating Producer Kodi keeping a watchful eye on things. This episode is a direct continuation of last week’s discussion about MINIs for sale. Bargain or mistake? Well… you rolled the dice, wrote the check, and brought that new-to-you MINI home. Now what? Dale walks through the logical, smart first steps every new MINI owner should take to make sure their car ...

3 weeks ago

16 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 105:Bargain MINI or Money Pit? and a new preferred vendor Dale forgot! :-(

In this shorter episode of The Cooper Cast, host Dale Blankenship and Producer Kodi (silent, judgmental, and still unpaid) take a quick but important look at MINIs for sale on Facebook Marketplace and other online listings. Are these cars hidden gems and great bargains… or are they desperate attempts to unload a rolling money pit? Dale shares some real-world perspective to help you read between the lines before you fall in love with a shiny photo and a too-good-to-be-true price. Before...

1 month ago

15 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 104: 2026 JCW Review, Love Letters, Questionable Batteries & Oily Futures

🎙️ In Episode 104 of The Cooper Cast Podcast, host Dale Blankenship and his ever-silent but sometimes-present studio supervisor, Producer Kodi Monster, kick things off by diving into a recent year-end review from an automotive outlet that spent the last year living with a 2025 MINI John Cooper Works hatch. The verdict? They loved it… mostly. Dale breaks down what the reviewer praised, what raised an eyebrow, and what long-term ownership actually revealed once the honeymoon phase wore off. If ...

1 month ago

20 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 103: Buttons, Scammers, and a Big Comeback Run

On this week’s Cooper Cast, Dale and Producer Kodi (who still refuses to speak but continues demanding executive dog-treat compensation) kick things off with a quick look at the infamous start-stop feature. Good news: that universally hated gremlin might finally be headed for retirement… someday. We’ll take it. From there, we dive into the brewing storm around those “5-Star Safety Ratings” every automaker crows about in commercials. Turns out, all those giant touchscreens replacing kno...

1 month ago

29 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 101: “Tag Cards, Local Clubs, and Ask-Dale Part Deux!”

In Episode 101 of The Cooper Cast Podcast, host Dale Blankenship and the ever-dependable Producer Kodi (who, as always, contributes exactly zero words) dive into another packed week in the MINI universe. We kick things off with a cruise through the wilds of the MINI Facebook world — where the posts are chaotic, the advice is questionable, and the entertainment value is always top-shelf. Then we revisit a popular listener topic: Owner’s Manuals. But this time, Dale brings a brand-new, much eas...

1 month ago

34 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

🎉 Episode 100 — The podcast hits the Century Mark!

In this very special 100th episode of The Cooper Cast, host Dale Blankenship and his ever-faithful sidekick Producer Kodi Monster (who still doesn’t say much, but looks adorable doing it) celebrate a huge milestone in MINI podcast history. We kick things off with a look at a new–old headlight mod that’s making a comeback among MINI owners. Then it’s on to some upcoming MINI events you’ll want on your radar, followed by a surprise topic: is your MINI secretly a tattletale? Dale breaks d...

1 month ago

35 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 99: Tread Carefully, Talk Clearly, and Keep ’Em Guessing

In this episode, host Dale Blankenship and the always attentive (but never talkative) Producer Kodi Monster dive into the nuts and bolts of MINI life — literally and figuratively. • Tire Rotations: Your MINI’s Silent Lifesaver We kick things off with a big one that gets overlooked far too often: rotating your tires, especially on second-gen MINIs. Dale breaks down why it matters, how it affects handling, longevity, and safety, and why skipping rotations is a fast track to buying tires sooner ...

1 month ago

27 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 98: Reborn MINIs, Map Deals, and Winding Down the Season

In Episode 98 of The Cooper Cast Podcast, your host Dale Blankenship — joined, as always, by our silent-but-essential producer Kodi Monster — dives into a fun mix of MINI heritage, motoring tools, and end-of-season club talk. We kick things off with some exciting news from the Legendary Cooper Car Company, run by Mike Cooper Son of the John Cooper Works namesake. They’re taking classic MINIs and giving them new life — rebuilding, reengineering, and rebranding them in ultra-limited, hand-built...

1 month ago

18 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

🎙️ Episode 97 — Mapping the Madness: Routes, Runs & Road Tales

In this episode of The Cooper Cast Podcast, host Dale Blankenship and his trusty sidekick Producer Kodi Monster(who still doesn’t have a speaking role) take on one of the trickiest challenges every MINI event organizer faces — Route Planning. If plotting a great drive for your club feels like herding cats with a GPS, don’t worry — we’ve got help. Dale reveals a simple mapping resource filled with pre-planned routes that’ll save you hours of frustration and get your next run rolling in no ti...

2 months ago

23 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

🎙️ The Cooper Cast Episode 96: Special Editions from Paul Smith and one headed to Thailand, then The Question of the Week.

Host: Dale Blankenship | Producer: Kodi Monster (silent but deadly… cute) This week on The Cooper Cast, Dale dives headfirst into MINI’s latest attempt at fashion-forward motoring… and let’s just say the results are about as exciting as a beige wall in a blackout. First up: the new Paul Smith Edition MINI Cooper — the long-anticipated, high-fashion collab with the legendary British designer himself. Sounds colorful, right? Well… not so much. Turns out when you think “Paul Smith,” you m...

2 months ago

19 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 95: Fall Colors in Virginia, Cool MINIs in South Korea and the Question of the Week!

Host: Dale Blankenship | Producer: Kodi (silent but scruffy) This week on The Cooper Cast, we hit the brakes (briefly) to wrap up Hampton Roads club MINI’s 22nd Annual Fall Colors Run — 436 miles, 4 states, 49 MINIs, and not a single drop of rain. (We’re not saying Dale has a deal with the weather gods, but we’re not not saying it either.) Then we hop on a virtual flight to South Korea, where MINI is celebrating 20 years in the Korean market with a full spread of special editions:...

2 months ago

23 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 94 – MINIs, Formula 1, and Facebook Funnies

In Episode 94 of The Cooper Cast Podcast, host Dale Blankenship and everyone’s favorite silent sidekick, Producer Kodi, take a quick pit stop in Austin, Texas, where MINI USA joined forces with Sports Illustrated for an electrifying display at the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. From the Club SI lounge to MINI’s motorsport roots, it’s a fun look at how MINI continues to show up in style at the world’s biggest racing events. Then Dale shifts gears with a few ramblings from the Face...

2 months ago

29 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 93 – The MINI That Never Was, a Show That Was, and a Chat That Was Needed

In Episode 93 of The Cooper Cast Podcast, host Dale Blankenship and trusty sidekick Producer Kodi (who finally gets a speaking part!) dive into what might’ve been the coolest, neatest, most sought-after MINI ever — the one that sadly never made it past the concept stage. Then, the duo shifts gears to the MINI Domination Car Show in Georgia — a big event with an even bigger question: why don’t we have more MINI-only shows here in the States? Finally, Dale wraps things up with a few bits of C...

2 months ago

21 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 92 – Lost Keys, Found Laughs, and Restored Faith in Humanity

In Episode 92 of The Cooper Cast Podcast, host Dale Blankenship and his world-famous producer, Kodi (who’s still holding out for a kibble sponsorship), tackle another round of MINI mayhem and feel-good moments. First up, the latest Cooper Cast Question of the Week — and this one had the MINI community absolutely cracking up. Let’s just say, if you thought you’d heard every possible answer by now… you haven’t. Then, Dale shares a heartwarming, tail-wagging, faith-in-humanity-restoring story st...

3 months ago

18 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 91 – Burnouts, Bright Spots, and Big Numbers

In this episode of The Cooper Cast Podcast, host Dale Blankenship (with Producer Kodi Monster loyally standing by) takes aim at the chaos that gave the car scene a big black eye in Gatlinburg — and why the rest of us are not impressed. Then we shine a well-deserved spotlight on a MINI club doing it right, earning praise straight from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. From there, Dale breaks down MINI’s Q3 sales surge — with most models skyrocketing while the beloved two-door Hardtop quietly ...

3 months ago

24 minutes

The Cooper Cast Podcast

Episode 90: MINI’s Sales Shake-Up, ICE Lives On, and Parking Like a Pro

In this week’s episode of The Cooper Cast, host Dale Blankenship and trusty sidekick Producer Kodi Monster dig into some big shifts that could shape MINI’s future. First, BMW has announced a brand-new direct sales model rolling out in Europe for 2027 — will MINI follow suit, and could this model eventually cross the pond to the U.S.? Then we turn to the European Union, which has quietly relaxed its strict EV mandates, meaning the internal combustion engine (ICE) will be sticking around long...

3 months ago

13 minutes