Frontier @ The Glen Live Report by Kathy Burkhart

Each year for the last 8 years, my husband, son, father and I go 2 1/2 hours north of our home in PA. to the Frontier at the Glen for a vacation. We camp at the Paradise Campground which is approximately 8 miles from the track, going on the Wednesday before the race.

We went to the track on Friday arriving about 1:30 p.m. for qualifications only to find Mr. Cope's car lined up but not for qualifying but for practice, as it had been rained out earlier in the day, and was threatening again.

After two "hot laps", the Jimmy Dean Pontiac skidded off the track on turn 1. It looked from my viewpoint that he had hit the huge Styrofoam blocks, but upon making the 2 1/2 mile trip around again, I couldn't see a scratch, though Mr. Cope reported that maybe the motor had broken. Mr. Dodson asked if the car shook. "The car shuttered, but didn't shake," the #30 driver responded.

He returned to the garage, and never returned to practice. Mr. Dodson's first goal was just to qualify the car on the first round.

After a long rain shower and drying of the track. qualification began with Mr. Cope going fourth at about 5:30 p.m., 3 1/2 hours after the original scheduled time. His time was 116.699 which finished him in 44th after the first round of qualifications. It appeared to me that he had a slight disadvantage, as each car qualifying following him got faster as the time trials continued.

Saturday it rained the good part of the day, so no second round qualifications were possible, and Mr. Cope once again packed his car and headed south, as others had provisionals to bump him off. Us fans just hope better days are coming for the whole Jimmy Dean Race Team and Mr. Cope.