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Eric in victory lane with Billy Moyer at Magnolia Motor Speedway

August 28th, 2010 - Eric once again was behind the wheel of the #21 Norman Bryson Motorsports Mastersbilt over the weekend as he entered a Fastrak event at Toccoa Speedway in Toccoa, Georgia. After struggling with motor issues in qualifying, Cooley started 18th in the feature. For the feature the motor issues were resolved, but with a one lane track, he did not make up much ground and was able to only advance to a 12th place finish.

August 15th, 2010 - Eric relived the past over the weekend as he hopped back behind the wheel of his old Mastersbilt that is now owned by Norman Bryson. Cooley opened the weekend on Friday night at Boyds Speedway in Ringgold, Georgia, where the night started well as he won his heat race, but by the time that the feature rolled around, the handling on his entry had gone away, and he would fade to a 12th place finish.

On Saturday night, he entered a $2,000 to win, Fastrak Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway Dirt Track. After starting ninth in his heat race, he blazed to a second place finish to earn the 5th starting position. Early in the event, he slipped to the 6th position, and on lap 8 the skies would open forcing the balance of the feature to be postponed until Sunday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, the action resumed and Eric raced his way to a very strong fourth place finish behind event winner, Jonathan Davenport, Jimmy Shiltz, and John Henderson.

August 2nd, 2010 - Cooley Motorsports had an extremely busy weekend as they entered three NeSmith Late Model Series events in the state of Mississippi.

The weekend's action got underway on Friday night at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Mississippi. Thirty-four Crate Late Models entered the event, and after winning his qualifier, Cooley started ninth in the main event. He would battle around midpack early in the event before mounting a charge to the front, which would see him record a fourth place finish behind event winner, Mike Boland, Chip Brindle, and Mike Palasini Jr. in the $2,000 to win event.

On Saturday night, a $2,500 to win, 50 lap event was held and once again a strong field of 35 entries signed in for action. Eric would start 16th in the main event after finishing third in his qualifier. Despite starting deep in the field, he would mount a solid run to the front of the pack that saw him come away with a sixth place finish at the checkered flag.

The triple-header concluded on Sunday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi in what would go down as one of the best NeSmith Late Model Series races ever. Twenty-eight entries were on hand for the $2,000 to win event, and Cooley started the night by setting second quick time in qualifications to lock into the second starting spot for the 40 lap feature. Early in the event, Cooley would fall back as far as the fourth spot before mounting late race charge that saw him pull alongside race leader, Johnny Stokes, with three laps remaining to battle for the lead. The pair would battle side-by-side for the last three laps, and despite a daring last corner slide job, Cooley would fall just 0.2 seconds short of the win as he came home in the runner up spot to race winner, Johnny Stokes.

Eric Cooley now holds a 60 point lead over Mathew Turner in the latest NeSmith Late Model Series standings.

July 10th, 2010 - Eric entered a single event over the weekend as he took part in the NeSmith Late Model Series, $2,500 to win race at Mountain Raceway Park on Saturday night. Twenty-nine entries were on hand, and Eric began the night by qualifying seventh fastest in time trials to lock into the seventh starting spot for the 50 lap feature. He would go on to advance to a sixth place finish to record another solid point's night aboard his #33c Victory Circle M1 Chassis By Moyer Crate Late Model.

July 5th, 2010 - Eric entered three events over the holiday weekend with the NeSmith Late Model Series. On Friday he was in action at 441 Motor Speedway in Dublin, Georgia. In qualifications he turned the 10th fastest lap of the 27 qualifiers to earn the outside front row starting spot for a heat race. He powered his way to the heat race win, which resulted in him starting 8th in the feature. During the feature event he would race his way to a 4th place finish.

Saturday once again found Cooley competing at 441 Motor Speedway as his night got off to a great start as he qualified 3rd fastest. He would start on the pole for his heat race and went on to win it. After starting fifth in the feature he advanced one spot to a fourth place finish.

On Sunday night, Cooley Motorsports concluded their weekend at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Alabama with the NeSmith National Late Model Series. Via qualifications, Eric locked into the feature as the eighth fastest qualifier. On a heavily rubbered track, Eric would survive to finish in the 6th position.

June 26th, 2010 - Cooley Motorsports invaded Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Mississippi over the weekend for a pair of NeSmith National Late Model Series events. Friday night found 38 cars entered into the $2,000 to win event. Eric would qualify 12th fastest before recording a second place finish in a heat race to lock into the 12th starting spot for the 40 lap, $2,000 to win feature. He would battle his way to a seventh place finish in the final rundown.

On Saturday, thirty-four Crate Late Models were on hand for the $2,500 to win, Coca-Cola 50. Eric qualified 16th fastest and after finishing 3rd in his heat race, he earned the 16th starting spot for the main event. Despite starting deep in the field he would rocket his way to a 4th place finish behind event winner, Mike Boland, Cliff Williams, and Ronny Lee Hollingsworth.

With the weekend completed, Eric now holds a 44 point lead over his closest competitor in the NeSmith National Late Model Series standings.

June 20th, 2010 - Eric set out to enter two NeSmith National Late Model Series events over the weekend. On Friday he traveled to Penton Raceway in Penton, Alabama for a $2,000 to win event. After qualifying 8th fastest in the 34 car field, Cooley locked into the 8th starting spot for the 40 lap event. He would race his way to a 5th place finish behind event winner, Larry Harrod, Mathew Turner, William Thomas and Chip Brindle.

Saturday night's scheduled event at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Alabama fell victim to rain once again.

Eric continues to lead the NeSmith National Late Model Series standings.

June 12th, 2010 - Eric traveled to Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Misissippi over the weekend for a Weekly Racing Series Event. In time trials he qualified eighth fastest in the 20 car field and went on to finish 5th in his heat race. After starting ninth in the feature, he charged through the pack to a solid third place finish.

June 5th, 2010 - After seeing both of the scheduled NeSmith National Late Model Series events scheduled for the weekend, postponed by Mother Nature, Eric changed his plans to only race in a Weekly Racing Series Event on Saturday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi. Twenty-four Crate Late Models entered the event, and Eric would enjoy a great run that would see him pick up a third place finish behind winner, Johnny Stokes, and Shay Knight.

May 22nd, 2010 - Eric entered night #2 of the Isle of Capri Crate Late Model Series doubleheader weekend at Batesville Motor Speedway on Saturday night. He would once again qualify for the main event as he locked into the 14th starting spot. He would go on to race his way to a 4th place finish.

May 21st, 2010 - Cooley Motorsports traveled to Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Arkansas over the weekend for the Isle of Capri Crate Late Model Series double header. Twenty-nine entries were on hand for the event, and after finishing second in his heat race, Eric started 6th in the main event. On a fast, hammer-down track, he would advance once spot in the feature to a fifth place finish behind event winner, Jeff Taylor, Roger Witt, Brandon Smith, and Dallas Everett.

May 15th, 2010 - After having the weekend's program at Batesville Motor Speedway nixed by Mother Nature, the team decided to travel to Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi for a Weekly Racing Series Event. With 19 entries on hand, Eric would race his way to a 6th place finish. Complete results from the event are available at www.MagnoliaMotorSpeedway.net.

May 9th, 2010 - Eric Cooley enjoyed another great weekend in his #33c Victory Circle M1 Chassis By Moyer in the NeSmith Late Model Series doubleheader at Central Mississippi Speedway in Winona, Mississippi. On Friday night with thirty-one entries on hand, Eric displayed dominance as he set fast time in qualifications to earn the pole position for the feature. He went on to lead the entire feature event to take the $2,000 win, which was his second triumph of the 2010 season!

On Saturday night, Eric qualified tenth fastest in qualifying for the $2,500 to win event, which gave him a front row starting spot for a heat race. He would go on to win his heat race to start 8th in the feature event. Eric would race his way to the front of the pack early in the feature and looked to be on his way to his second win in as many nights, but disaster struck on lap 30 when a lapped car made heavy contact with Cooley. The caution would wave and Eric would retain his position as the leader, but with heavy front end damage, he would fade to a third place finish at the checkered flag behind event winner, Chris Ragan, and Larry Harrod. Full results from the weekend can be found at www.NeSmithRacing.com .

On the heels of his two solid finishes, Eric now holds a 52 point advantage over Mathew Turner for the point's lead in the NeSmith National Late Model standings.

April 18th, 2010 - Cooley Motorsports made the trek to Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Arkansas over the course of the weekend for a pair of Isle of Capri Casino Crate Shootout Events Presented By Bad Boy Mowers. A solid field of 34 competitors entered Friday night's, $1,500 to win event. After finishing second in his heat race, he started 7th in the main event. Cooley would go on to race his way to a 3rd place finish behind event winner, Billy Moyer Jr., and Bill Frye.

On Saturday night another strong contingent of entries signed in for battle in the $2,000 to win event around the 3/8 mile oval. After starting 4th in his heat race, he would charge to the lead and claim the win over Jeff Taylor and Raymond Merrill. Via passing points he would earn the outside front row starting spot for the main event. Cooley had a great run going in the feature and was battling Jeff Floyd for the top spot when the caution flag waved. During the caution, Floyd developed a flat tire and headed pitside, at which point Eric inherited the lead. He would lead the next few laps before Billy Moyer Jr. raced past him for the lead. Eric would go on to record a second place finish behind event winner, Billy Moyer Jr. Full results for both nights can be found at www.BatesvilleMotorSpeedway.net .

April 11th, 2010 - Eric enjoyed a great weekend behind the wheel of his #33c Victory Circle M1 By Moyer Chassis as he entered a pair of NeSmith Late Model Series events. On Friday night, Cooley was in action at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Mississippi. A stout field of 36 competitors entered the event, and Eric started the night by qualifying 4th fastest to lock into the main event. He worked his way up to the second position during the course of the feature to record a second place finish behind, Mike Boland.

On Saturday, the team traveled to Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Mississippi for another NeSmith Late Model Series event. Eric had an up and down night, but by the time the checkered flag dropped he ended the night standing in victory lane after winning the $2,600 event. Cooley set second fast time in qualifications to earn the second starting position for the feature. He would fall as far back as the fourth position early in the feature. At one point he was even spun, but another driver was credited with the caution, allowing him to retain his spot. He would see his car come to him during the latter stages of the race as he raced his way past Mike Boland to take sole possession of the lead on the 32nd lap. Eric went on to lead the last 18 laps to take his first win of the year. He is also now leading the NeSmith Late Model Series standings!

March 27th, 2010 - Eric parked his normal ride for the weekend, as he hopped behind the wheel of Norman Blaxton's #21 Crate Late Model for the $25,000 to win/$1,000 to start Crate Late Model Nationals at Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, Alabama. The event drew 70 cars, and Eric started the weekend by setting fast time in his group and second fastest time overall. An inversion of four was drawn for heat race action, which placed Eric in the 4th starting position for his heat race. However, as he prepared to head to the track for his heat race, it was discovered that a bolt had come out of the rack, which resulted in him missing the heat. Despite his disappointment, Eric was the recipient of the 19th starting position for the 100 lap feature, after being the fastest qualifier not to transfer to the feature from heat race action.

In the 100 lap feature, Eric would battle an ill-handling car in the early stages of the event before battling his way back to a 10th place finish against a talented field of competitors.

March 20th, 2010 - Eric entered his second Super Late Model event of the 2010 season on Saturday night at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Alabama with the P.R.O. Dirt Car Super Late Model Series. Eric started the night by qualifying 8th fastest in his group to earn the fifth starting spot in a qualifier. He went on to finish 5th in the qualifier, which resulted in him starting 16th in the 40 lap, $2,500 to win feature. In the main event, Eric would begin marching toward the front of the pack early in the event as he was up to the 10th position by the race's midway point. Over the remainder of the event, he raced his way to a solid 6th place finish, and along the way earned the Hard Charger Award.

March 13th, 2010 - Cooley Motorsports entered the $1,000 to win Bullring Bash for NeSmith Crate Late Models at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi on Saturday. Twenty-five Crate Late Models entered the event, and in qualifying, Cooley laid down the second fastest lap to earn the second starting position alongside pole-sitter, Justin McRee for the feature event. As the feature went green, Cooley assumed the second position behind leader McRee. Cooley would chase the leader for the first 15 laps before Ronnie Johnson slipped by Eric on the high-side, which relegated Cooley to the third position. Cooley would go on to chase McRee and Johnson to the checkered flag to record a third place finish.

March 6th, 2010 - Eric competed on Saturday night at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi in a NeSmith Weekly Racing Series Event. With 13 Crate Late Models on hand, Cooley blazed to the fastest qualifying lap to earn the pole positoin for the 20 lap feature. At the outset of the feature, Eric jumped to the lead over Johnny Stokes and Chris Ragan. He would maintain the top spot until the race's midway point when Chris Ragan slipped by for the lead. Cooley would challenge Ragan for the lead over the remainder of the event before fading to a second place finish.

February 21st, 2010 - Saturday night saw Cooley Motorsports enter the final night of the East Bay Raceway Park triple header with the NeSmith Series. Once again a talented field of 46 competitors were on hand for the $3,000 to win race. Eric started the night by qualifying third fastest in his group to earn the second starting position for the third heat race. He would go on to win the heat race, which gave him the 7th starting position for the 50 lap feature. Eric would battle throughout the top ten during the course of the feature before scoring a 6th place finish at the checkered flag. With the NeSmith triple header at East Bay in the books, Eric sits just two points out of the NeSmith National point's lead behind Mathew Turner.

February 20th, 2010 - Friday night found Eric entering the second night of the NeSmith Late Model Series triple header at East Bay Raceway Park as 53 Crate Late Models entered the event. After qualifying 31st fastest, Cooley was pinned with a starting spot deep in his heat race and fail short of locking into the feature. As a result, he was forced to run the b-main, where he finished second to pick up the 21st starting spot for the 40 lap, $2,000 to win feature. He would have a strong run in the main event as he charged to an 11th place finish. Eric is currently second in the latest NeSmith Late Model Series point's standings behind Mathew Turner.

February 19th, 2010 - Cooley Motorsports made the long trek to East Bay Raceway Park on Thursday for the first night of a triple header. Forty-seven entries were on hand for the $2,000 to win, 40 lap event, and Eric qualified 16th fastest. After finishing 4th in his qualifier, Eric earned the 16th starting spot for the feature. During the course of the main event, he would advance to an 10th place finish.

January 23rd, 2010 - Eric opened the 2010 NeSmith Late Model Series National tour on Saturday at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi with the 10th Annual Winter Classic. The $2,500 to win event saw a stout field of 38 Crate Late Models on hand. After turning in a solid qualifying performance, Cooley locked into the fourth starting spot for the 40 lap main event. Early in the event Eric fought an ill handling car as he faded as far as the 11th position. However, by the race's midway point, the handling on his #33c Victory Circle M1 Chassis By Moyer started to come back to him, and he mounted a charge back to a 5th place finish.

January 10th, 2010 - Eric Cooley kicked off his 2010 season by entering the Super Late Model portion of the 19th Annual Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track Despite never competing in the Super Late Model division at Talladega Short Track, Cooley qualified 14th fastest in his group, resulting in him starting 14th in his heat race. On a track where passing was difficult, Cooley would find his way to a solid, sixth place finish, which earned him a second starting position in one of Sunday afternoon's b-main events. In the b-main, Eric would run in the second position for the entire event to earn a transfer spot to the feature, where he started in the 22nd position. He would ride for a few laps in the feature on a track, where passing was quick difficult, before ultimately deciding to save his equipment as he retired to a 22nd place finish.

December 12th, 2009 - Cooley Motorsports wrapped up a very successful 2009 season over the weekend at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Florida in the NeSmith Crate World Championship. The $10,000 to win event, drew sixty entries, and in group qualifying on Friday night, Eric qualified second fastest to earn the outside front row starting spot for his heat race. He would blast to the lead at the drop of the green flag and went on to take the heat win to earn the sixth starting spot in Saturday night's 100 lap finale.

Early in Saturday's 100 lap event, Eric had a strong car and battled his way as high as the fourth position. However, as the race began to approach the midway point the track began to drastically change and so did the handling on his car. He would fade several spots with an ill-handling car, and as a result decided to duck into the pit area for some changes under caution. After returning to the tail of the field, he would find that the handling was no better, and he ultimately retired from the event on lap 78 to a 22nd place finish.

Even though the finish is not what the team had hoped for, they were extremely happy with their 2009 season accomplishments, which included the NeSmith National title, Columbus Speedway Track Championship, and Magnolia Motor Speedway Track Championship. Eric and everyone with Cooley Motorsports would like to thank all of their fans and sponsors for their support throughout the 2009 campaign!

November 28th, 2009 - Eric had a busy weekend as he pulled double duty in the Super Late Model and NeSmith Late Model division at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi for the 9th Annual Southern Belle Possum Town Grand Prix.

On Friday, Eric entered the NeSmith Crate Late Model Invitational. With 32 Crate Late Models on hand, Cooley qualified 5th fastest overall, which resulted in him starting outside front row of the second heat race. He would take the win in the heat race to earn the outside front row starting spot for the 30 lap main event. At the drop of the green flag, Cooley fell behind Mathew Turner as the pair battled on an extremely slick surface. Eric would chase Turner for the first 19 laps before using lapped traffic to slip by as he went on to lead the last 11 laps en route to the $2,000 win!

In the Super Late Model division, Eric competed against a field of 30 competitors in the $2,000 to win event. He would lay down an impressive qualifing lap, which resulted in him being third fastest in his group. As a result, he locked into the eighth starting spot for the 30 lap feature. However, bad luck would strike Cooley on the pace lap when his right front suspension broke, bringing his night to an end before it ever got underway.

On Saturday, Cooley was back in action with the NeSmith National Late Model Series as 38 Late Models entered the event. He would qualify second fastest in time trials behind only Ronnie Johnson. Via his qualifying effort he started on the pole for the 40 lap, $2,500 to win event. Johnson took the lead at the outset of the event with Cooley in pursuit. Johnson would build as large as a straightaway advantage before Cooley caught him in traffic late in the race but was unable to make the winning pass. At the finish line Cooley was credited with a solid second place finish. Eric also claimed the win in the NeSmith Late Model Series Race of Regions, which pitted the top four drivers from each region against one another in a ten lap dash.

Eric also competed in the Super Late Model division for the second straight night. In group qualifications, he fell just short of locking into the feature as he qualified 5th fastest. As a result, he started second in a b-main event. He would lead flag to flag in the b-main to take the win and the transfer to the feature event. Eric would start 13th in the feature, but early in the event front end suspension woes would trouble him, sending him pitside for the night.