Derrike will be driving the #79 Dodge for Arnold Motorsports in the season's finale this weekend at Homestead, Florida. The #37 Chevy will not be entered in Sunday's Ford 400. Ernie Cope and the #37 crew will be working for Hermie Sadler's #02 for the Homestead race.

Since the track had recently been redesigned the teams were given a chance to practice on Wednesday before the race. Derrike's fastest lap was 30.53 seconds and 177.049 miles per hour which was comparable to some of the better speeds posted.

In the first practice, Derrike was 31st fastest with a time of 30.247 and speed of 178.530.

In qualifying, Derrike was set to go out as the 33rd driver. The #79 Dodge had mechanical problems and by the time Derrike was able to get the car started, there were problems with the engine so the car only produced a lap of 31.415 and speed of 171.892 which was not fast enough for the top 36. Since the team did not have a provisional that was higher than other drivers, the #79 Dodge and Derrike missed the show.

Derrike Cope goes for a spin in Homestead
By TOM RIFE, November 13, 2003

HOMESTEAD -- Derrike Cope may be a 45-year-old, seasoned veteran among NASCAR drivers. A man 13 years removed from his extraordinary Daytona 500 victory. But that didn't keep him from engaging in a couple of "firsts" Wednesday. Cope made his first laps around the reconfigured, 20-degree banking at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. And he did so by driving the No. 79, Don Arnold-owned Dodge for the very first time.

"The car has some good tendencies and we did make quite a bit of progress today from the morning session to the afternoon," Cope said as he and fellow Winston Cup drivers prepared for Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 at the 1.5-mile oval. "We got the car to turn quite a bit better. I think we have a very good opportunity to put the car in the field."

Picking each other's brains on the ins and outs of the highest level of stock car racing, Arnold and Cope at times sounded like two men headed for something other than the "one-race deal" that was announced last week. Cope was hired to replace Naples' Billy Bigley Jr. after the start-up Arnold Motorsports team was unsuccessful in its four Winston Cup qualifying attempts at Indianapolis, Bristol, Richmond and Atlanta.

"Don and I had some conversations about our two separate teams, where we're both going and looking at 2004 as an option to try to find some common ground," Cope said. "This opportunity came up. I didn't have the funding to bring my own team down here and Don wanted to come down here. We thought we'd just do a collaboration here and see if we can find some success and look at things from there."

This is Cope's first full season as an owner/driver and he admits it's been an under-funded roller- coaster ride. He's participated in 18 events in 2003, making the field 12 times by using a provisional start based on his owner points. Cope's No. 37 Friendly's Chevrolet was the first car out of the race this past Sunday at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham. Arnold, the longtime Naples developer, also hinted that he would consider combining his operation with another owner to form a multi-car team for the 2004 Nextel Cup Series season. He pointed out five single-car teams that are currently struggling to find sponsorship but did not indicate specifically how things might pan out.

"A lot of it depends on how the sponsorship comes together," Arnold, who might move his team from its current base in Concord to a much larger facility in Mooresville, said. "There are three options we could do that could involve everything from a full season and running a limited schedule. We're looking into all the opportunities. Ultimately, a multi-car team probably is the way to do. There are no thoughts of quitting at this time. None whatsoever. We have two and a half million dollars invested right now. And there's not much value in used race teams if you just shut it down."

Winston Cup teams were on the track Wednesday to take part in what was scheduled as a seven-hour practice session to allow teams to familiarize themselves with the rebuilt Homestead track. The $10 million project was announced as officially complete about three weeks ago and none of the teams had any test time.  The three-hour morning session went off without a hitch. The afternoon session, however, was cut short by two hours because of rain. The teams will have two more hours of practice Friday morning prior to that afternoon's qualifying. Cope's fastest lap Wednesday was 30.53 seconds (177.049 miles per hour) and that was comparable to some of the better speeds posted.

"In the morning, we were in our race setup mode and this afternoon, we picked up a second when we were in qualifying trim with the tape on the front of the car and all. It was a good lap but I would guess a lot of the guys on the track this afternoon were in their race setups," Cope added. "I'm certainly looking at every option," Cope said of his situation. "I think you have to. I think that's what Don and I are trying to discuss, trying to find some things that could be mutually beneficial. Trying to find funding is the key for both of us. We're just trying to see if there are some things we can work together on and get more successful so we can showcase the potential of the race team on a weekly basis. That's what attracts major corporations."

Arnold unhappy with 'other' No. 79
By TOM RIFE, November 14, 2003

HOMESTEAD -- Don't be confused when you tune in to the NASCAR Winston Cup qualifying this afternoon at 1:30 on the SPEED Channel. There could, indeed, be two No. 79 machines trying to get into the season-ending Ford 400 that is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. And Naples developer Don Arnold is none too happy about it. He is the owner of the white Dodge with blue numbers that will be driven by Derrike Cope. The "other" 79 is a royal-blue Monte Carlo with white numbers and it will be driven by Rich Bickle. That car is owned by John Conely's racing operation out of Brighton, Mich. Arnold said Wednesday he thought he had exclusive use of the number when it was assigned to his team before the 2003 season began. The minor leagues of stock car racing often find two cars with the same number on the door panel, with a duct-taped "1" or "x" usually hastily applied to differentiate between the two. Of course that wouldn't happen in a Winston Cup event.

"They are actually registered as No. 179," Arnold said of Bickle machine. "NASCAR told them that if we weren't here, they could race as the 79."

Of course the big question "What if" question looms. What if both 79s are able to make successful qualifying runs today?

Film at 11...

SPELL CHECK: If Cope does finish among the 36 fastest in today's qualifying, here's hoping the crew has enough time to correct the spelling of his first name on the roof panel. On Wednesday, there was a "c" included by mistake, although that seemed to be about the last thing on the team's mind given the challenge of trying to get into the race. Cope will have to be among the 36 fastest on time to qualify. While he would have had a provisional to use had be entered his own No. 37 Monte Carlo, that provisional can't be carried over to Arnold's team because provisionals are based on owner points and Arnold owns the 79 car. While his team hasn't qualified for a Cup race yet, Arnold has accumulated enough points to get on the provisional list (an owner earns 100 points per qualifying attempt). But other teams present have more owner points than Arnold, so he'll have to take a back seat to them if it boils down to that.

STOPWATCHES TICKING: While Cope posted a practice lap of 30.53 seconds in "qualifying trim" on Wednesday, it can now be confirmed that teams randomly surveyed in the garage reported running "race trim" only during the session. Track officials said the following speeds and were times reported: Johnny Benson: 30.40, 177.632; Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: 30.60, 176.471; Tony Stewart: 30.70, 175.896; Ryan Newman: 30.80, 175.325; Jimmie Johnson: 30.90, 174.757; Dale Jarrett: 31.00, 174.191.

Misfortune bites Arnold team
By TOM RIFE, November 15, 2003

HOMESTEAD -- Without warning, promise shifted into reverse for the Arnold Motorsports NASCAR Winston Cup race team and driver Derrike Cope on Friday. But the latest step back didn't keep Arnold, the longtime Naples developer and first-year race-team owner, from looking forward. Even though Cope was the 31st fastest among 48 cars during the morning practice session, his attempt to get Arnold his first spot on a starting grid fell victim to a mechanical gremlin and an ill-handling No. 79 Dodge during qualifying for Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. It appeared as though the pieces might fall into place -- until, that is, Cope's turn to qualify came and he couldn't get the engine started. While Cope tried desperately to crank the engine, Dale Jarrett moved around him in line and went about his qualifying business. The engine of the Arnold entry finally did come to life just as Robby Gordon was moved to the front of the line. But even then, the No. 79's troubles weren't done.

"You know, you sit there and you're ready to go. Then it wouldn't start. I finally got it to start and took off. But it wouldn't run," said Cope, who replaced Naples' Billy Bigley Jr. behind the wheel. "It was like it was off on three or four holes. So I shut it off to try to keep it cool. I came back in, hit the kill switch and changed ignition boxes to see if I could get it to fire, and it did. The car just wouldn't stick and then it got sideways. It was all I could do to hang on."

The end result was a two-lap letdown, with the best circuit of the two clocked at 31.415 seconds and 171.892 miles per hour. It was 46th among the 48 who completed qualifying runs and was not good enough to make the race. He needed to be among the 36 quickest. Pole honors went to Jamie McMurray, whose Havoline Dodge recorded a lap of 29.816 seconds and 181.111 miles per hour. Bobby Labonte's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet will sit on the outside of the front row for Sunday's 1 p.m. green flag at the reconfigured 1.5-mile track that now features 20-degree banking in the turns instead of the previous six-degrees corners. During the morning practice, Cope put down a lap of 30.247 seconds. Both he and Arnold appeared confident. But the team's fifth and final chance of 2003 short-circuited.

"We were qualified today. We had the car. We had everything," said a disappointed Arnold. "In three of the five attempts this year, we should have been in. There were two we weren't ready for. So we get past these and go forward. Get rid of the gremlins. Shoot the little boogers."

Though Friday's attempt with Cope at the wheel originally was trumpeted as a "one-race deal," Arnold quickly put the Homestead-Miami numbness behind him and went to work on the 2004 Nextel Cup campaign.

"I bought my new building (in Mooresville, N.C.) yesterday. So where am I going to go?" he reflected. "We're here for the duration and Derrike and I are working on some things. We hope to do a lot of stuff together next year. We're going to do some testing and see what goes on from there. We're going to do part of a Busch schedule next year, too, with another driver. That came about in the last half hour since qualifying ended today. So there are a lot of things happening."

The 60-year-old Arnold, a dynamic force on the Southwest Florida real estate scene since 1964, likened the challenge of breaking into the highest division of stock car racing to his labor of love three decades ago. "I remember 1974 when interest was 18 percent and you borrowed at 5 over prime and paid your 23 percent interest and tried to develop in those conditions," he said with a smile. "This is easy compared to that."

Cope, the 1990 Daytona 500 winner who struggled through his first full season as a team owner this year, had hoped to make a difference despite his short association with the Arnold group. Cope got his No. 37 Chevrolet into 18 events this year, but didn't have the funding to enter the weekend's festivities in South Florida. He said he felt for Arnold.

"You know, every time I don't make a race, I feel like I've failed. It's my job to go out and get the lap done," Cope, of Spanaway, Wash., said. "Today I thought I had a good enough car to make it. It's certainly the best equipment I've sat in motor-wise and all that. I had a good chance to run solid here and just came up short. It's really disappointing for Don and myself."