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Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400September 12, 1998
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(Sept. 9, 1998) -- Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison is second on the all-time victories list at Richmond International Raceway, and as the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit heads there for Saturday night's Exide 400, Gumout Pontiac driver Derrike Cope fondly recollects his association with one of the sports living legends. Cope spent two-and-a-half seasons as Allison's driver from 1994-1996, collecting 13 of his 32 career top-10 finishes. The team struggled financially, eventually closing its doors at the end of the 1996 season. Cope finished a career-best 15th in the point standings in 1995, finishing second at Phoenix. "All in all, it was a great period for me, from a gratifying standpoint in the car and reinforcing belief in myself and in my ability," Cope said. "Bobby was never real boisterous in any way. He'd give you those words of encouragement when you'd done really well. If you had a rough day, he was still behind you. There was no alarming concern from him. He was positive all the time. He'd been through it. He knew what you were up against. He was very encouraging from that standpoint." Allison won 84 times in his career, including five wins at Richmond, but Cope said he seldom was lectured by NASCAR's third-winningest driver. Instead, Allison served as a motivator for Cope on the radio. "Bobby was good about not getting on you, not telling you how to drive or what worked for him," Cope said. "He would always discuss things with you and talk about the car. He wanted to talk to you about your needs. The way he approached things was very beneficial to me." While Allison urged Cope on from the pits, he left the racing strategy to his driver, crew chief Jimmy Fennig (now with Mark Martin) and engine builder Keith Almond. Steve Leavitt, the chassis builder for Allison in those years, is now with Cope at Bahari' Racing. "We had a lot of talented people there who had been with Bobby for a long time," Cope said. "They understood the sport. They understood the highs and lows. They were really an even keel bunch. We were very productive for not having a lot of money. We ran up front and were in position to win several races. I respect every person that was there. The dedication showed in that they did what it took. I'd welcome a lot of those guys to this team." Allison became a car owner after his own career was cut short by a head injury sustained in a crash at Pocono in 1988. Cope raced alongside Allison only two years on the circuit, but Allison's talents left a lasting mark on Cope. "He was a tremendous driver," Cope said. "Tenacious. There were times he didn't have the equipment and he was able to carry it. He was extremely driven. There was an air about him, an attitude, and he was not afraid to tell you. He was kind of the David against Goliath. He definitely liked that battle and I think that's what drove him." That spirit has helped Allison overcome enormous setbacks in his life, including the loss of his two sons, Davey and Clifford. "Bobby Allison's perseverance shows tremendous courage and heart," Cope said. "He's a person with enormous faith and belief in the ability to overcome the adversities he's had to deal with. He's a source of tremendous inspiration. I have the utmost respect for the man. It's difficult to believe what he's gone through." Richmond used to be a struggle for Cope, but with help from Allison and Fennig, the 1990 Daytona 500 champion learned his way around the short track. In June's Pontiac Excitement 400, Cope rallied from his 43rd starting position up to 21st midway in the race before a spin in oil laid down on the track relegated him to 34th. "Bobby and Jimmy helped me find a combination at Richmond and since then I've raced well there," Cope said. "We took a provisional last time and that was the beginning of a qualifying downslide for us. We've got that corrected now. We raced exceptionally well that night. We held off the leaders for a long time. I'm looking forward to going back." Cope says he will probably speak briefly with Allison if he sees him at Richmond. They will laugh about some racing memories, but the chat won't last long. Allison understands Cope has a job to do. The way he goes about it has a lot to do with how Allison carried himself. "Bobby was one of those guys that seemed to touch a lot of people," Cope said. "He'd visit fans homes, eat dinner with them. He could have played the central role in 'Touched by an Angel.' He overwhelmed people. He was taken in well and perceived well, and still is today. "He gave me one of the most self-gratifying times in my career."
In practice earlier on Friday, Derrike had spun coming around one of the turns but no damage occurred to the Gumout Pontiac. In first round qualifying, Derrike took the track near the tail end of the field. On his first lap, he was only 38th fastest, but picked it up greatly in the second lap and produced a time of 21.824 and speed of 123.717 which at the time was 7th fastest. At the end of the qualifying, the Gumout Pontiac was sitting in its second best starting position of the season in 8th position.
Derrike started the race in 8th position. This is where he was during the race among the 43 drivers:
(Sept. 12, 1998) -- Gumout Pontiac driver Derrike Cope overcame a faulty sparkplug early in the race to finish 24th in Saturday night's Exide 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Cope started the weekend in spectacular fashion, qualifying his car eighth in Friday's time trials. It was his best qualifying effort in 16 races. But early in the race Cope began falling back. He sank all the way to 41st before a caution flag came out. Cope entered the pits and the Doug Hewitt-led Bahari' Racing crew quickly found a sour sparkplug. The team masterfully managed to keep Cope on the lead lap in spite of having to pit four times during the caution period. Cope raced well throughout the night and finished two laps down to race winner Jeff Burton. "We had a productive run and got to race the whole night," Cope said. "The crew did a great job communicating and we managed to stay on the lead lap despite making all those stops early on during the first caution. But all that lost track position really cost us. I think this whole weekend was a step forward for this race team. Now we’ll try to take the next step next week at Dover." Next up for owner Chuck Rider's team is the MBNA Gold 400 at Dover Downs International Speedway.
Carol Dignazio was at the race and provided a live report. Carol's Live Report |
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30th - lap 51 (during the second caution, the team replaced a spark plug and that
appears to have fixed the problem. Derrike pitted numerous times but never lost a lap.)
Derrike
finished the race in 24th position, 2 laps down. The pit crew did an excellent job in
getting the problem fixed at the beginning of the race and never losing a lap. Also kudos
to ESPN for keeping us informed as to what was happening with the team. It was unfortunate
that there were problems but the team was given more exposure in this race than recent
ones.
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