NASCAR Winston Cup Series DieHard 500 Preview: #36, Derrike Cope
8 October 1997
#36 Derrike Cope, Skittles Pontiac Grand Prix NASCAR Winston Cup Series DieHard 500 Advance Talladega Superspeedway DERRIKE COPE NOTES & QUOTES: DIEHARD 500 TALLADEGA, AL - If history is any indication of how the Skittles Race Team can showcase the #36 Skittles Pontiac, then driver Derrike Cope should find himself posting a high finish this weekend during the Sear DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. In the Skittles team's first visit to Talladega, they not only posted their season-best qualifying effort at the time when Cope started 12th during the Winston 500, but they enjoyed one of their best finishes of the season. During the May race at Talladega, Cope moved the Skittles Pontiac into fifth position before finding himself left out of the lead draft and finishing a respectable 13th. The Skittles team will use the confidence gained after qualifying 13th this past weekend in Charlotte to catapult themselves into another great starting position. The new team has found themselves qualifying on the first day in 14 attempts this season, the second best occurring on the 2.66-mile superspeedway at Talladega. "I'm confident we'll be able to put ourselves in a position to get to the front and that is what I plan to do this weekend," said Cope, who has posted two top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway. "Drafting proved to play a major role in our finish in May," said Cope, who remains 28th in the Winston Cup points standings. "Restrictor-plate racing makes the racing more competitive and stresses the importance of drafting. This time we'll make sure to find the right drafting partner and work our way up to the very front." Cope's Record at Talladega Superspeedway (since 1989) Best Finish; 7th; 1990 Talladega DieHard 500 Top-5 Finishes: None Top-10 Finishes; 2 Best Start: 12th (twice); 1997 Winston 500 and 1998 Winston Select 500 Biggest Payday at Talladega Superspeedway: $22,490; 1995 Sears DieHard 500 YEAR EVENT Start Finish Earnings Reason 1997 Winston 500 12 13 18,385 Running 1995 Winston Select 500 12 29 22,425 Running Sears DieHard 500 23 27 22,490 Accident 1995 Winston Select 500 25 42 10,990 Accident Sears DieHard 500 40 15 18,610 Running 1994 Winston Select 500 31 31 10,115 Accident DieHard 500 DNQ 1993 Winston 500 15 8 22,285 Running DieHard 500 31 36 12,380 Engine 1992 Winston 500 29 12 15,050 Running DieHard 500 24 22 9,090 Running 1991 Winston 500 23 28 13,935 Engine DieHard 500 37 35 13,755 Oil Pan 1990 Winston 500 27 40 9,350 Engine Talladega DieHard 500 21 7 15,350 Running 1989 Winston 500 31 30 3,925 Accident Talladega DieHard 50 20 38 3,830 Accident By Muhleman Marketing