NAPA 500

November 16, 1997
Atlanta, GA

With speeds in testing reaching more than 190 mph at the newly-reconfigured and repaved 1.54-mile quad-oval, this weekend's season finale may be one of the best races of the season, especially with the NASCAR Winston Cup championship on the line.

"That track is fast," said Cope, driver of the No. 36 SKITTLES® Pontiac who recently tested on the old, 1.522-mile layout. "I was glad we went down to test so I could become more familiar with the track. I had noticed a bump in Turn 1 on my first lap and with the speeds as fast as they were, I'd hate to be going 190 mph and not know the particulars of the track. The facility looks great. AMS did a good job reconfiguring the track."

In addition to the new pavement, drivers will now start on the opposite side of the track with the switching of the front and back stretches. Derrike Cope had some success in this race on the "old" AMS -- namely a seventh place finish from a third place start in 1994 -- and the driver is confident the team has one more good run up its sleeve.

Derrike had the fifth-fastest car during the first day of testing in Atlanta, so the SKITTLES® Racing team is confident of its chances for a great start and finish during the NAPA 500. Recent success in Busch Pole Qualifying has given the team extra confidence needed for this weekend. Beginning with the last race in Charlotte, the SKITTLES® Pontiac has found itself starting 16th or better, including a season-best fifth place start in Talladega just a month ago.

"The testing times proved that this is going to be a record-setting qualifying attempt," said crew chief Ryan Pemberton. "Cars are breaking the 190 mph barrier, which is just phenomenal when you think of all 42 cars in the race going that fast."

A good showing in Atlanta would prove how well the SKITTLES® Racing team has progressed during the season. Cope's SKITTLES® Pontiac, on average, has finished better than any other new team, with the exception of Kyle Petty's No. 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac team, this past year with an average finish of 23.97. The season's best finish, an eighth-place run during the June race in Michigan, still stands out as one of the highlights of the year.

Qualifying was cancelled on Friday because of rain. In qualifying held on Saturday, Derrike placed the 14th fastest time at 28.692 and a speed of 193.225.

This is where Derrike was during the race among the 43 cars:

• 12th position - lap 20 of 325
• 11th - lap 25 (There was a mandatory pit stop for teams to check their tires. The fifth-place winning pit crew got Derrike out in 7th position.)
• 7th - lap 58
• 10th - lap 83 (One of the first cars to pit under the green. The team took only 2 tires which got Derrike out in 3rd position.)
• 3rd - lap 129 (Green flag pit stop. ESPN actually showed Derrike's entire pit stop with a time of 19.2 seconds.)
• 2nd - lap 165 (20 seconds behind the leader Bobby Labonte)
• 1st - lap 183
• 7th - lap 201 (led 2 laps and 6 seconds now behind the leader)
• 6th - lap 213
• 5th - lap 264 (19.1 seconds behind the leader)

Derrike finished the race in 5th position, the last car on the lead lap, and after having led 2 laps. The finish was the best of the season for the SKITTLES® Racing team and left Derrike in 27th position in the point standings for the year.

Overall, this was an excellent season-ending race for the SKITTLES® Racing team. Derrike showed that he can stay near the front and the team showed excellent pit stops and decisions during the race. This should provide encouragement for both MB2 Motorsports and Bahari' Racing for next year.

Editors Note: At one point in the race, the ESPN crew focused on Derrike and the great run he was having. They mentioned that Derrike would be with Chuck Rider next year. At that point it went downhill as they questioned who the sponsor would be and no one knew that Gumout would be the sponsor, even though it was announced this past Tuesday.