Miller Lite 400

June 14, 1998
Brooklyn, MI

(June 9, 1998) -- A Pontiac hasn't won a NASCAR Winston Cup race at Michigan Speedway since Rusty Wallace turned the trick in a Grand Prix in the 1989 Champion 400. Gumout Pontiac driver Derrike Cope hopes to end that 16-race skid in Sunday's Miller Lite 400.

"I like the superspeedways the best," Cope said. "Michigan is a track that's fast and there's plenty of racing room because it has such wide, sweeping turns. I know Pontiac would love to win this race. Pontiac is so often overlooked with all the continuous Chevy-Ford talk. I'd love to give Pontiac some bragging rights in their own backyard by winning this race."

This Thursday, Cope will pay a visit to Pontiac headquarters in Detroit. After a luncheon with Pontiac executives, he and five other Grand Prix drivers will meet with Pontiac employees for a 45-minute question-and-answer seminar. Following that, Cope and the other drivers will sign autographs before departing on the eve of qualifying for the 200-lap event.

"This is something Pontiac does every year," Cope said. "Their drivers go up there and meet with Pontiac employees to generate enthusiasm for the company's participation in NASCAR racing, as well as showcase their race teams. It's real interesting to see the inside workings at Pontiac."

Cope last led a race in the March 9 Primestar 500 at Atlanta. He's hoping his Doug Hewitt-led crew is better prepared for the Miller Lite 400 than many of their rivals after a three-day test session in Michigan's Irish Hills. Bahari' Racing won the pole for last August's DeVilbiss 400 at Michigan with previous driver Johnny Benson. Cope ran within nearly one-tenth of a second of that speed during his test.

"I felt we had a really productive test," Cope said. "This team has run well at Michigan and I think we have the opportunity to do that again this week. The fact that we ran speeds comparable to Johnny's pole speed last year gives us reason for optimism. Plus we really feel like we can still find more speed in the car."

Cope will be making his 320th career start when he takes the green flag for Sunday's race. The 1990 Daytona 500 champion is also approaching $5 million in career earnings. He's at $4,865,353 heading to Michigan, 32nd on the all- time list.

After first round qualifying, Derrike stood in 39th position of 47 drivers after a qualifying time of 40.469 and speed of 177.914. 21 drivers participated in second round qualifying including Derrike, but the Gumout Pontiac's time was not fast enough to make the field.

(June 14, 1998) -- Gumout Pontiac driver Derrike Cope failed to make the field for Sunday's Miller Lite 400 at Michigan Speedway despite significantly improving his qualifying speed in second round time trials.

Cope qualified 39th out of 47 cars after posting a speed of 177.914 mph in Friday's first round qualifying session. He was the 26th-fastest car in practice, but his scuffed tires were not up to the task in qualifying.

Saturday, Cope zipped around the two-mile superspeedway at 180.189 mph -- more than 2 mph faster than his first round run -- but it wasn't enough. This time, the team went out on sticker tires and it caused his car to get loose, particularly between turns three and four. Cope ended up 39th fastest. Only the top 36 cars make the field, plus seven provisional starters based on their position in the point standings. Cope didn't have enough points.

"It's crushing," Cope said. "I can't begin to describe the disappointment. This team has worked so hard and we just can't seem to get any luck. I hate it for Gumout and all our associate sponsors. We've just got to put this behind us and go to Pocono next week and have a productive run."

Owner Chuck Rider's Bahari' Racing team's next race is the Pocono 500 at Pocono International Raceway this Sunday.