From Minivan Mods to NOPI Nationals: Mike Cooper’s Wild Car Scene Stories & the On the Stax Journey

From Minivan Mods to NOPI Nationals: Mike Cooper’s Wild Car Scene Stories & the On the Stax Journey Mike Cooper, owner of On the Stax, joins the podcast to reminisce about early-2000s East Tennessee car culture, car clubs, and cruising scenes, from minivan and mini-truck mods to imports, big wheels, and air ride. He recounts building a heavily modified Mazda 5 daily driver with air ride, carbon fiber parts, an elaborate Sound Decision stereo setup with many TVs, and the costs and tire wear that eventually led him to trade it in after winning at NOPI Nationals, where class winners had to make major changes to return. The group swaps stories about major shows like Slammed Enough and Lebanon, discusses how trends evolve (including electric cars and new engine tech), and shares Mike’s infamous Gatlinburg arrests tied to car-show antics. Mike also explains how he quit drinking, found Friday Night Magic, and opened On the Stax nearly four years ago as a Pokémon/Magic buy-sell-trade tabletop shop serving mostly adults, with Pokémon demand driving big business.