TranSouth Financial 400

March 22, 1998
Darlington, SC

(March 17, 1998) -- Some high-placed connections in college football have Gumout Pontiac driver Derrike Cope hopeful of averting the sidelines during Sunday's TranSouth Financial 400 at Darlington Raceway.

Cope is on the mend after sustaining two cracked ribs in a crash during the March 9 Primestar 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Cope was running on the lead lap when a right-rear tire blew on lap 204, sending the Gumout Pontiac hard into the turn two wall. The accident also left Cope bruised and sore throughout the chest and shoulder areas. In hopes of recuperating faster, Cope sat out Sunday's Opryland 320 NASCAR Busch Series race so he can concentrate on making his return at Darlington.

"I'm quite sore all over," Cope said. "My shoulder blade area is really sore. I'm trying to heal up right now. I'm trying to take as much time out of the car as I can right now until I heal up, until we get down to Darlington."

Cope spent the weekend resting and contemplating the use of various rib vests and special pads sent to him by some friends who are assistant football coaches at the University of Florida. Florida recruiting coordinator and inside linebackers coach Jim Collins witnessed Cope's crash at Atlanta from a suite. He and special teams and tight ends coach Lawson Holland later spoke to Cope about the nature of his injuries.

"We went around and asked some people here what they could do to make him more comfortable," Collins said. "We ended up sending him a couple of different types of rib vests and adhesive foam pads for his shoulders. Maybe some of that stuff will make it more comfortable for him to drive."

Cope was introduced to Collins and Holland by his friend Woody Fish, who used to serve as the head football coach at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C.

"They talked to the trainer down there and he put a few things together for me to see what might be of aid, what I might want to use," Cope said. "I'm taking a look at some things they've got and trying to look at something that is as thin and mobile as I can get, something maybe a quarterback would wear under his jersey. I'm just waiting to see how I feel, how tender I am. I'm just looking at a few things to see if I can put some things in my seat and around me to aid me in the recovery process a little bit."

Cope's highest finish at Darlington is fourth, which he earned in the 1991 Southern 500. He's in need of a solid finish to improve upon his 31st-place spot in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. Cope led four laps at Atlanta, but the crash ruined his chances at a top-10 finish. He was running second in the season-opening Daytona 500 when a freak accident on pit road not of his making relegated him to a 37th-place finish. But the season is only four races old, and owner Chuck Rider's Bahari' Racing team isn't panicking.

"We're doing all we can do and we're running well," Cope said. "We're qualifying good and we're racing well. Really we haven't gotten the finishes of where we've been running. We're hoping to maintain the focus and stay excited and the finishes will start to come. That will enable us to bounce back in the points."

A quick recovery from his crash at Atlanta would steer Cope in the right direction.

"Right now I'm looking forward to Darlington if I could just heal up a bit," Cope said. "It was a lot harder hit, a lot stouter blow than I think a lot of people anticipated."

But Cope is counting on biting back at Darlington.

The team is using a brand new car in Darlington. In first round qualifying, Derrike posted a time of 29.504 and speed of 166.676 which was quick enough at that time for 17th position. At the end of the round, he was in 26th position.  The team decided to stand on their time for the second round and after other drivers requalified, the Gumout Pontiac started in 31st position.

Derrike started the race in 31st position among the 43 drivers. This is where Derrike was during the race:

• 33rd position - lap 34 of 293
• 31st - lap 44
• lap 54 - Derrike felt a vibration in the right front after contact with Steve Grissom and pulled it into the pits. The problem was that 2 tire studs had broken off so only 3 studs were holding the tire. They had to take it behind the wall and replace the hub. None of the announcers said they had seen that before.
• 41st - lap 103 (33 laps down)
• 40th - lap 271 (37 laps down) - According to Derrike, at this point, a piece of rubber or something hit the oil pump belt and the motor tightened up so he had to shut it off.

Derrike finished the race in 40th position, 62 laps down.

(March 24, 1998) -- Each time Derrike Cope climbed in and out of the Gumout Pontiac at Darlington Raceway this weekend, he did his best to mask the pain he endured from his bruised and battered body.

The casual observer may not have recognized the level of Cope's discomfort, the result of a hard crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago. But his Bahari' Racing teammates certainly did.

"You could see he was a little sore even before the race," crew chief Doug Hewitt said. "I asked him when he strapped into the car for the race if he wanted a backup driver. He said, 'Don't worry about me. I'll finish.' That motivates you a lot. This team was able to see his commitment to them by wanting to do his job."

Cope, despite two broken ribs, was working himself through the field when contact with another car broke two wheel studs. Cope had to come into the pits for lengthy repairs, but returned to action. He logged 231 of 293 painstaking laps for a 40th-place finish. But those laps may prove to be some of the most pivotal of the season. The crew stood in the pits in awe as Cope fought to complete each lap.

"They wanted to pick him up on a pedestal and carry him around," Gumout Pontiac owner Chuck Rider said. "It was amazing and so inspiring. Derrike is so determined in everything he does. It really showed this weekend. You can't ask for anything more. I think that race will prove to be a real key part of the success we'll attain this season. Even with some of the bad luck we've had this year, the morale on the team is as high as it was before we started the season."

Hewitt, stopwatch in hand, shook his head in amazement with each lap Cope completed. "It just shows how much of an athlete Derrike really is," Hewitt said. "You hear about football and baseball players playing hurt. People don't realize how much drivers go through when they're hurt. Pit stops are considered a needed break for a driver during a race. Pit stops were the worst part of the race for Derrike. Dropping the jack was the worst thing for him. There was really no rest for him. Just think about having a couple of broken ribs and being dropped two feet from the ground. That's tough."

Monday, Cope continued to show his dedication. He drove to the Bahari' Racing shop and bought breakfast for every team member from the daily break truck.

"You know that had to be a bad day for Derrike, and for him to make an effort to come in the following day, get out of bed early, when you know he needed his rest, he comes in here and buys breakfast for everybody," Hewitt said. "He just wanted to come in here and show he was still behind us."