The Cooper Cast Podcast

 It’s another episode of The Cooper Cast Podcast with host Dale Blankenship and Producer Kodi , who once absent this week at Cooper Cast HQ. Very likely asleep near a heater duct somewhere.  We kick things off with a look across the Pacific at a new, dark-themed Countryman headed exclusively to the Japanese market —and it comes with a twist nobody saw coming. Dale breaks down what makes this speci...

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast , with host Dale Blankenship and Producer Kodi , who once again makes a surprise speaking engagement and clearly feels very comfortable sharing his thoughts these days. This episode kicks off with a deep dive into MINIs On The Dragon , quite possibly the longest continually running MINI Cooper event in the United States . Registration is well underway, and o...

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast , with host Dale Blankenship and his ever-faithful producer Kodi —faithful, of course, as long as the treat supply holds out. This episode kicks off with a deep dive into a Road & Track review of the new MINI Cooper JCW hatchback . And when Road & Track weighs in, it’s worth paying attention—they’ve reviewed more performance cars than most of us will...

🎙️ 2nd Anniversary Episode of The Cooper Cast Podcast Welcome to a milestone episode of The Cooper Cast Podcast as host Dale Blankenship and the ever-present Producer Kodi Monster celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the show — and yes, Kodi earns yet another speaking encounter, making this a truly historic broadcast at Cooper Cast HQ. Dale kicks things off by sharing some fascinating podcast stats ,...

 Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast , with host Dale Blankenship and Producer Kodi , who once again earns himself a few speaking parts and is clearly becoming far too comfortable behind the mic. This episode starts with a look at some interesting MINI sales numbers from 2025 , but before we get there, we take a quick international detour. First stop: India , where the MINI Convertible is doin...

  Welcome back to The Cooper Cast Podcast , with host Dale Blankenship and Producer Kodi , who not only showed up for this episode but actually grabbed a few speaking parts —a rare and historic moment at Cooper Cast HQ. This time around, Dale and Kodi take a random stroll through the MINI Facebook groups , and as usual, the experience covers the full spectrum. Some posts are perfectly normal, help...

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...

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 bro...

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...

 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 ca...

Welcome back to The Cooper Cast , the FUN podcast for the MINI motoring community, with host Dale Blankenship and 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 wa...

  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...

🎙️ 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 rais...

  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...

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 r...

  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 o...

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...

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...

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 wi...

  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 hims...

  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...

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 st...

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...

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…...

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 dow...