NASCAR Winston Cup Brickyard 400 Preview -- #36, Derrike Cope
29 July 1997
#36 Derrike Cope, Skittles Pontiac Grand Prix NASCAR Winston Cup Series Brickyard 400 Advance Indianapolis Motor Speedway DERRIKE COPE NOTES & QUOTES: BRICKYARD 400 INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Nostalgia and history as well as a strong finish in Pocono will provide extra incentive for Derrike Cope and the #36 Skittles Race Team as they head to the prestigious Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete in the Brickyard 400 for one of the season's largest purses. The rectangular, 2.5-mile track at Indy will challenge the best drivers including Cope, driver of the #36 Skittles Pontiac. Since its Winston Cup inception, Cope has competed in each race, with his best finish coming just last year when he placed 14th. In the last five races, Cope has averaged 20.2 in finishes and placed 16th in the last Winston Cup race, the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. It was at this most recent race that Cope in the #36 Skittles Pontiac led his first green-flag laps of the season. One of the 18 cars finishing on the lead lap, the Skittles Pontiac found itself avoiding accidents and riding on the grass twice during the day at Pocono. "The Skittles Pontiac had some exciting moments during that day at Pocono," said Cope, who remains 25th in the Winston Cup points standings. "I kept trying to avoid the accidents by going low and ended up in the grass twice. At least the car didn't sustain any serious damage. "I remember the first time I competed at Indy," said Cope, who competed in the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994. "Exciting is not the word. There was a lot of people, more than twice what we're used to, and the atmosphere and history behind the track still make it one of the major races of the year. You can't compare Indy to any other track -- it's unique in itself. "Indy is a difficult track but I'm confident that the Skittles Race Team is up to the task," added Cope. "Horsepower plays a major role and the Skittles Pontiac has continued to run strong during each race. "You need to let up on the throttle to get out of turns 2 and 4," commented Cope. "The corners are more diamond shaped with short shoots. Basically it's four straight-aways which makes for twice as many corners. A small mistake has a bigger magnitude on this track. "The Skittles Pontiac has been running exceptionally well during the races," said Cope, who's had one top-10 finish this season. "A top-25 qualifying effort at Indy is a must since everybody brings their best stuff and we want to make sure the team has enough time to work on the race setup." By Muhleman Marketing