Jeff and Bob Cope

Jeff's brother Bob first got the chance to meet Derrike at the 1995 Daytona 500 and Gatorade Twin 125's, and actually watched the race behind his pit crew. He even enjoys telling the story of how he actually helped move a hand truck with tires out of the way for the crew, which made him feel like he was part of the crew. Bob went all out for 1996's Pepsi 400 and attended the pre-race festivities. He has been fortunate to meet Derrike at every race he has attended since then.

Jeff and Bob's parents, Glenn and Helen, are also big fans of Derrike. Glenn has his own fan story here too. Glenn and Helen live in Ft. Pierce, FL and have had the pleasure of attending the Pepsi 400 in Daytona since 1994. They both got their chance to meet Derrike for the first time at the '97 Pepsi 400.

Jeff was invited to an appearance by Derrike at the Waco, TX M&M/Mars plant in Dec. '96 and couldn't pass up meeting Derrike for the first time. He is also probably one of the few people to have seen Derrike in a hairnet. Sorry, Derrike didn't allow any pictures to be taken with it. Pictures from the event are in the gallery.

Jeff attended his first live race in 1997 with Bob at the inaugural race of the Texas World Speedway. They were able to get pit and garage passes and enjoyed watching the drivers close-up, including Derrike and the SKITTLES® Racing Team. Jeff also enjoyed '97's Pepsi 400 and with garage passes, he and Glenn were invited to watch practice from the top of the SKITTLES® transporter.

1998 was a big year for Jeff and Bob and the fan club as they attended the very first Derrike Cope Fan Club meeting in Charlotte, May, 1998. It was a lot of fun being the first DC fans to attend a meeting.