Gatorade Twin 125 Live Report by Carolyn White and Carola Farb

A 6:55 departure to the Daytona International Speedway saw a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the low 80's unfold! The Reverend Hal Marchman, the NASCAR Chaplain, calls this kind of day "Chamber of Commerce "weather for Volusia County! There was a slight southeasterly breeze which helped cool huge crowds as we prepared for the start of the first Twin. Our seats were in the Allison Tower and we had clear view of nearly all the track. Allison is at the end of the Super Stretch as the cars are entering turn three. The firsr Twin 125 was dominated by Bill Elliot. He was able to hold off Jarrett and Tony Stewart to make it a three Ford runaway. This race saw cars remain single file throughout most of the race and the Elliot win was a very popular victory for a very crowded Speedway.

Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top 5.

The second Twin was the one we went to see and Derrike never disappointed us! It was obvious from the start that he had a strong car and he gained 6 positions in 4 laps. It was also obvious that he could race any line of the track. His three abreast moves coming out of four and entering turn one were fabulous! His strength never diminished as he picked his way through the field. Once, when he was battling with Jerry Nadeau, he got loose coming out of turn 4 but he did a remarkable job to save his position.

Derrike received a lot of coverage in his attempt to close the gap that separated him from the lead draft and he eventually caught them. The announcer also praised his consistency and mentioned that he was celebrating the 10th anniversary of his 500 win here in Daytona.

With 5 laps to go he was announced as the fastest car on the track which was evident by his ability to close in on the leaders. His 6th place finish made our day! The car looks OK but a sponsorship would certainly improve it! But today it didn't matter...the crowd new that Derrike Cope was back at Daytona and with a very strong car. With two caution free races now just a memory, we will be heading to the Daytona 500 with renewed optimism and hope for Derrike.

The communication between Derrike and his crew on the radio was much better than I have heard in a few years for him. He is obviously comfortable with the crew, the car and himself. He sounded very upbeat all during the race and his crew let him know everything that was going on around him. When the #99 car overheated, they told him to "pick him off"! It was such a welcome listening experience after last season.

We send greetings to you all and wish your could share our joy!