Episode 150: Rooftops, Fresh Pavement & 150 Episodes of MINI!

Welcome to **Episode 150 of The Cooper Cast Podcast**, the *FUN* podcast for the MINI motoring community, with host **Dale Blankenship** and, naturally, **Producer Kodi** keeping a close eye on the operation—or at least the location of the nearest treat. Yep. **150 episodes.** Somehow they keep letting us do this. We kick things off with MINI's latest special edition, the **Rooftop Edition**. Is it revolutionary? Nope. Is it particularly complicated? Not really. But sometimes simple works, and Dale has to admit it: **he actually likes this one.** We'll take a look at what MINI has done and why this relatively straightforward special edition manages to hit the right notes. Then we're headed back to some of our favorite pavement on the planet. Earlier this year, **the Dragon got freshly paved**, and now another legendary stretch of road in the area is getting the same treatment: **Hellbender**, the fantastic road connecting Fontana Village with the Dragon. And here's where Dale might commit a little MINI heresy... **He likes Hellbender better than the Dragon.** There. He said it. With fresh pavement going down, Dale is already looking forward to the next opportunity to point a MINI toward those North Carolina mountains and find out just how good one of his favorite roads has become. From mountain roads, we shift into **MINI motorsports** and catch up with the folks at **LAP Motorsports** and their latest rallying endeavors. MINI and rallying belong together, and it's always fun watching modern MINIs getting dirty and being driven the way performance cars are supposed to be driven. Then we head back into the online MINI world—but this time for a **Facebook group that's actually worth checking out**. Dale highlights an interesting MINI group that fellow enthusiasts may want to add to their Facebook rotation. Finally, we take a look at several **upcoming MINI events this fall**. Summer may be winding down, but MINI motoring certainly isn't. There's still plenty of time to find an event, meet some fellow MINIacs, and put some miles on your MINI before the year winds down. New MINIs. Fresh mountain pavement. Rally cars. MINI community. Upcoming events. Sounds like a pretty fitting way to celebrate **150 episodes of The Cooper Cast**. Thanks to every Cooper Caster who's listened, contributed a Question of the Week answer, sent in a story, suggested a topic, shared an episode, or simply came along for the ride. **150 down... and we're nowhere near finished.** **Motor safely… and don't forget to wave!** 🚗🐾🎙️