Lance Hooper

Who is Lance Hooper?

Lance Allen Hooper is a race car driver in NASCAR as well as several touring divisions. Hooper attended his first race when he was just two weeks old, and also came from a long line of racing champions, including his uncle, father, and brother. Hooper currently serves as the driver and crew chief of the #44 Key Motorsports Chevy in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Hooper first began racing in 1990 in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, and was named Rookie of the Year at Saugus Speedway. He went on to win the track championship there the next two years. Following that stint, Hooper moved up to the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series, and won seven races in his first year on the circuit, then won the championship in 1995. In addition to his success on Raceday, he won the pole award sixteen times, the Most Popular Driver award as well as breaking many track records.

After that, he moved to the NASCAR Winston West Series. In 1996, he won five races, as well as both the championship and the Rookie of the Year points title. That year, he made his Winston Cup debut as well, running the Dura Lube 500 and finishing 33rd in his own Pontiac. He soon caught the eye of owner Richard Jackson, owner of Precision Products Racing, and the two ran six races together in 1997 in an undeclared Rookie of the Year bid in the Winston Cup Series. In 1998, the two made an abbreviated bid at the Busch Series championship, running 16 races and finishing in the top-20 three times.