Daytona 500 Preview: Derrike Cope, #30 Gumout Pontiac
9 February 1998
Cope Ready for Second Daytona Victory #30 Gumout Pontiac driver Derrike Cope proved he is at least a dark horse and might be a favorite for Sunday's 1998 Daytona 500. Cope, the 1990 champion, qualified 7th posting a speed of 190.617 mph on Saturday. He and his Bahari' teammates now prepare for Thursday's qualifying race to determine the starting order for NASCAR's most prestigious race. Qualifying Run: "This Gumout team has had its act together all week and we proved it here today. Now What? "We are going to start working on drafting and getting ready for the Thursday qualifying race. Now that qualifying is over I can start concentrating on what I do best and that's getting the Gumout Pontiac ready to win races." How Would Winning This Daytona 500 Compare to Your 1990 Victory? "In my opinion, for as much grief as I took after the first win, this win would solidify the fact that the first win wasn't a fluke. Even though we did win at Dover that year. In a lot of people's eyes that Daytona win may have been a bit tainted, but not in my eyes. I'd like to win it again obviously, that is the biggest thing that can happen to you in this sport. I don't care how we would win it even if it were by gas mileage. A second time around, going out and flat whipping would definitely be rewarding." Goals for 1998 Daytona 500 "To win the race, period. We are capable of running up front. We aren't going to take any unnecessary risks out there, because we want to finish well and start the season right. I can win this race." Bahari Racing Versus Previous Teams? "This team is prepared as any team I have ever seen. We have a very methodical approach. We always have a back-up plan. We left Daytona with a lot of speed in the car and went to Talladega where we didn't work on speed as much as we did just enhance what we already had. But, testing is over. We are at Daytona and it's time to see what we have." For More Information Contact: Drew Brown Pennzoil Racing (704) 895-3651 drewbrown@pennzoil.com