Lee “Cookie Monster” Dalton
Introducing the Colorado Cookie Company’s Champion Racer
Champion drag racer Lee “Cookie Monster” Dalton would never pass up a scratch-baked, straight-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie from the Colorado Cookie Company. But if he was stranded in the middle of nowhere and had to choose between keeping his 289 cubic inch, five-speed equipped 1964 Ford Falcon, his 1965 Ford Falcon station wagon, or a tub of chocolate chip cookies there is no question as to what he would do. He would choose one of his cars.
Lee, known in some circles only as “Cookie”, is a Santa Claus of a man. His pink cheeks and genial manner are set off by his white hair, full mustache and beard but instead of a suit of red he wears his signature Cookie Monster t-shirt and official drag racing jacket. This is a man who hits speeds of 125 miles per hour in 10.8 seconds in a quarter mile drag race.
How good is Lee at driving at top speed, shifting gears and eating cookies all at the same time?
“Not bad.”
But he wouldn’t recommend trying it if you aren’t a professional.
“No. I tell everybody I can’t leave the cookies on the dash because I leave the starting line too hard and they slide off so I have to lay them on the seat next to me so that in between shifts I can grab ’em.”
When asked if his love for cookies was topped only by his love for racing his eyes sparkle and he laughs in amusement. Racing is in his blood. Relatives first introduced Lee to a circle track while Lee was a struggling and disinterested high school student. Lee soon realized that drag racing better suited his style and temperament and he began to hone his skill. The passion of racing taught Lee the life values that a traditional education couldn’t. Lee became a Master Engine Builder and grew into a responsible young man who worked hard at what he loved doing, showed up on time and put into racing what he wanted to get out of it.
Hard work, a lot of practice and building the right car took all of Lee’s focus. But when it all came together, he said, things changed almost overnight. He and his blue ’57 Ford found themselves a part of the regulars who were racing the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) class circuit.
From NHRA racing Lee moved on to bracket racing. “Bracket racing,” Lee explains, “is a staggered start to where both cars are basically supposed to finish at the same time and then when you get into the NHRA racing, it’s a heads-up, both cars leave at the same time and it’s the fastest car that gets to the end.”
Cookie Monster
“At that time everybody had a name for their car. And I was trying to think of what I should name the car. By this time it was 1970 and my daughter was watching this new show they had on TV called Sesame Street. And there was this big blue monster on TV and I thought, ‘Hey, it’ll be the Cookie Monster!’”
That’s the moment Lee’s small family began to grow to include a Cookie Monster collection of innumerable variety that takes up an entire section of his basement.
“[…] the amount of stuff I have is totally amazing. When you see it you can’t believe there’s that much stuff! I have an entertainment center, two five-shelf bookcases and a three-shelf bookcase all full of Cookie Monster stuff. I have toothbrushes, I have forks and spoons. […] I have my t-shirts, my hats, my carpets, my rugs; I have stuff hanging on the walls in the laundry room. […] You know they had – the big thing years ago was a Tickle Me Elmo. Well, they also had a Tickle Me Cookie Monster. Nobody knows that! I have a bunch of Tickle Me Cookie [Monsters] and I also have Cookie Monsters that talk.”
Embracing his role as the driver of the ever-popular Cookie Monster and never losing sight of the enjoyment that racing had brought him, Lee would always be sure to bring along some of his Cookie Monster collection as he traveled between various car shows and races. His selection usually included a three-foot doll that would get the place of honor as the “driver” of the 1966 Ford Falcon peddle car that Lee would position as the tow vehicle for his new racing car, a 1965 Ford Falcon station wagon known as the Cookie Wagon.
Lee’s popularity on and off the track continued to grow and it didn’t take long for people to recognize “Cookie” and his racecars wherever he went. People loved his racing persona and would come by to take pictures of Cookie, first with the Cookie Monster and later with the Cookie Wagon. Visitors, beaming children, drivers and Lee’s dedicated crew were usually always treated to a cookie whenever Lee and his racecarswere around. Soon the treat of a cookie delivered straight from the Cookie Monster or the Cookie Wagon became a tradition that made race days even sweeter.
“You know the Cookie Monster always eats chocolate chip cookies so that’s just what we’d do.”
Cookie Kismet
Walking around the neighborhood with a friend one day, Lee happened upon the Colorado Cookie Company (CCC). Deanna, the genius and driving force behind the Cookie Company and Lee, the driver of the official Cookie Monster and Cookie Wagon were so excited to have met one another that their recollections on what exactly happened during that first meeting are both a little fuzzy. Neither one can remember who first proposed a sponsorship arrangement but perhaps it was because fate already arranged that for them. Lee took the partnership to the next level when he decided to enhance the ’65 Ford’s windows with a digital design that made it look like the station wagon was weighed down with boxes of the CCC’s signature gourmet cookies. The Cookie Wagon was officially born. All told there hasn’t been a partnership like that of the Colorado Cookie Company and Lee “Cookie Monster” Dalton’s since…well, since cookies and milk.
Proudest Racing Moment
In 2009 Lee won the big money race that had been eluding him and he was finally able to feel the pride and satisfaction of completing his race portfolio. This was the first time Lee raced his 1965 Ford Falcon Cookie Wagon after overhauling the whole system from an automatic back to a manual transmission and the old style feel of the Pinks Rich Christensen’s Arm-Drop (where “instead of leaving off of a light, we leave off an arm-drop like we used to years ago”) made victory that much sweeter because of the fact that Lee’s car is considered “old style.”
“[The car is] old style from back in the ’70’s when we started racing [and has] dual carburetors on a tunnel ram manifold and carburetors [that] stick up out of the hood. […] So it was fun and like I said everybody – the young kids were really enthused because it was a station wagon and it was different and the older people were goin’ ‘Wow that’s old style racin’ with the carburetors off the hood and a stick shift!’ So we had everybody behind us. And it was fun to have the crowd behind you, leanin’ over the railings, giving you a thumbs up. Everybody was cheerin’ us on, you know, that was kind of neat, to have the crowd behind you. It was…it was the race I remember. Like I’ve said, I’ve won a lot of other stuff, but that was the one that was really neat…it was something that I really treasure. It was…it was terrific.”
Cookies and Creating a Sense of Community
Lee shares his sense of pride and responsibility that he has on the racetrack with everyone he meets off of the racetrack as well. He has freely given of his time, knowledge and passion by being involved with fundraisers and numerous organizations like Race to Read, Kids of Courage and Drag to Learn .
Drag to Learn is an organization with which Lee feels a particular connection. Started in Douglas, Wyoming by a friend and fellow racer, Drag to Learn takes its seminars from school to school and talks about “[…] drag racing and how it pertains to life in general. You know, you need to show up, you need to be prepared, you need to do your job, stuff like this.”
Lee has always said “Yes” when he’s been invited to go to grade schools and put his car on display for a day. His message for kids is always the same: “I talk to the kids about being prepared, listening, paying attention...you know, even as many years as I’ve been doing this, you always learn something and you need to pay attention, you need to learn some of these things. All of a sudden somebody will say something that just makes sense to you, and that’s what it’s all about. I was a poor student. I was terrible. I hated school so much I couldn’t wait to get out. But I mean, when you put it in these different realms, it’s really interesting to see how you can actually help these kids who might have been like me – who could care less. And they hear something that’s interesting. You’ve got these racecars out here, you’ve got these guys who are driving, [and the kids] get to touch them and sit in them and stuff like that.”
Lee has seen firsthand how his involvement has made a difference. One example that sticks in his mind is when working with Kids of Courage. Kids were clambering into his car two at a time to be raced down the track. Everyone was having a great time until Lee felt himself pause with trepidation. One of the kids climbing into his car was blind and Lee wasn’t sure how much the young boy would be able to enjoy the ride.
“But to watch him put his hands on the floorboards and feel the vibration of the car and the engine and just light up…it was a neat deal. Like I said we made some kids happy and that is what it was all about. I do this now strictly for fun. Yeah, I like to win, everybody does. But it’s…it’s not a driving force anymore.”
Driving the car to new venues, racing and letting people crowd around and take pictures with the Cookie Wagon is part of what makes his time on the circuit so rewarding. Lee laughs when he confesses that when everybody comes around and asks if they can take pictures of his car “it really swells up your head!”
“But it is kind of a neat deal, and that’s pretty much what I do now. And especially being able to give the cookies away to the kids and the drivers, that’s just fun.”
Lee’s greatest influence is perhaps one that is more sweetly subtle, that he has achieved year after year, one cookie at a time.
“There [are] people,” Lee says, “that I gave cookies to their kids fifteen years ago and now they’re drag racing and now I’m giving cookies to their kids, you know. Like I said, a lot of people have come up to me and said, ‘Is this your car? Well I remember this car when my dad used to race and I was just a little kid and you gave cookies away!’ And I still give cookies away, you know, so, yeah it stuck with me all this time.”
“It’s one of those goofy things that I enjoy and have done for a long time and through the years we’ve helped people and done some stuff and that’s just what I enjoy doing. I could race all day. That’s one of those things I enjoy doing. You go to different racetracks and put the cookies out and people would help themselves and it actually got other people to put stuff out and to start giving stuff away and it created a sort of big community instead of people just thinking ‘Oh, I have to race him next.’”
Lee “Cookie Monster” Dalton may be too humble to admit it but his winning attitude on and off the track continues to have a positive impact on all those he meets. Dedication, hard work and the willingness to go the extra mile (especially at top speed) is why the Colorado Cookie Company is proud to have him on our team!
To Learn More
National Hot Rod Association http://www.nhra.com/
Bandimere http://www.bandimere.com/index.php
Rocky Mountain Stick Shifters http://www.rockymountainstickshifters.com/
Rich Christensen http://www.richchristensen.com/about-rce/
Pinks http://www.speedtv.com/programs/pinks/
Drag to Learn http://www.racetolearn.org/
Race to Read http://www.bandimere.com/news/RacetoRead.php
Kids of Courage http://www.kidsoc.org/