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California 500May 3, 1998
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(April 28, 1998) -- San Diego native Derrike Cope has little use for chitchat when his focus is directed on the Gumout Pontiac, but his mind is bound to wander back to some fond racing memories when he returns to California Speedway for Sunday's California 500. While moving up through the stock car ranks to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Cope ran at such nearby speedways as Willow Springs and Bakersfield. Cope's first experience with racing's major leagues came with a five-time NASCAR Winston West champion. "I've been to Ontario and I was at Riverside a lot," Cope said. "My first- ever experience in stock car racing was at Ontario Motor Speedway. I carried tires for Bill Schmidt. That's when (Dale) Earnhardt wound up winning rookie of the year and (Benny) Parsons wound up winning the race. I loved Ontario, but I never got to race at that track. The track is right down the road from California Speedway, so in some ways I kind of feel like I'm there again." Cope says there are few race tracks across the country that can match the splendor of California. "A lot of thinking went into California Speedway, a lot of forethought," Cope said. "With all the palm trees and landscaping, aesthetically, it's a beautiful place. I mean, think about it, the race track is the nicest landscaped property out there." After a rough six-week stretch that began when Cope broke two ribs during a crash in the March 9 Primestar 500, things are looking prettier for owner Chuck Rider's Bahari' Racing team as well. After sitting out the short track race at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago to help heal his ribs, Cope returned with a vengeance in last Sunday's DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He qualified seventh and ran as high as fourth before getting into a nasty 20-car crash. "It was a productive run," Cope said. "We've really got our act together on the superspeedways. After getting wrecked and still finishing 22nd, that's pretty good. I wanted to get through Talladega with a good run and now the goal is to go out to California and have a good run." Cope finished 29th after losing a cylinder in last year's race with the MB-2 Motorsports team. He ran as high as fourth before the misfortune.
Derrike ended first round qualifying in 40th position with a time of 40.9564 and speed of 175.807. The team decided to requalify in the second round and this time produced a time of 40.356 and speed of 178.412. This will put the #30 Gumout Pontiac in 32nd position to start the race.
Derrike started the race in 32nd position. This is where he was during the race among the 43 cars:
On lap 153, Derrike got in some loose stuff in turn 2, the car got loose, and slammed into the wall on the driver's side. Derrike finished the race in 39th position.
(May 3, 1998) -- Misfortune continues to be Derrike Cope's companion in the Gumout Pontiac. Running 12th and closing in on the top-10 after starting 32nd in Sunday's California 500, Cope was rounding past the outside of Chad Little's Ford when his Pontiac spun and hit the California Speedway turn two wall. Cope was unhurt, but had to settle for a 39th-place finish after completing 153 of the 250 laps. "We just can't buy any luck right now, but this was my fault," Cope said. "This Pontiac was really racy. The guys did a great job getting it better through the race. We had a top-10 car. I got a little excited and tried to pass Chad Little to the outside. I had about cleared him and lost it in the marbles. We had a really productive run going and the car was just getting dialed in." Cope quickly rallied from his starting position and was quickly in the top-25. He ran as high as fourth through one pit sequence before the crash. Cope is 39th in the point standings. Chuck Rider's Bahari' Racing team returns to action May 16 in the Winston Open, a qualifying race for The Winston all-star event.
Bruce Bates was at the race and provided a live report. Bruce's Live Report |
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