Federated Auto Parts 300 - Derrike Cope Notes

Kentucky’s ‘Middle Race’ Key One In Three-Race Stretch
Cope, Advil Ford Team head to ‘heart of motorsports country’

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The middle race of a string of three key stand-alone events for NASCAR’s Busch Series, the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway will host what some consider the linchpin race of the string Saturday night.

“Obviously, you want to run well everywhere but Kentucky is one place where you really want and need to shine,” said Derrike Cope, who will drive Jay Robinson Racing’s #49 Advil Ford in the Meijer 300 stock car race Saturday night.

“This is a race in the heart of motorsports country. Fans around Kentucky aren’t just stock car fans or Indy car fans. They simply love all kinds of racing, whether it’s 700 horsepower at Kentucky Speedway or one horsepower at Churchill Downs,” Cope said.

The pride factor in running at one of the NASCAR Busch Series’ crown jewels comes well into play. Besides the great fans in the region, Cope pointed out the facility as one of the best in racing.

“Kentucky Speedway is not just one of the best tracks in the Busch Series, it’s one of the nicest facilities in any form of motorsports anywhere,” Cope said. “Kentucky gives you a Cup-type atmosphere whether you are running Busch, ARCA or anything else.

“That’s one of the things that makes the place so special to drivers and teams. You drive through the tunnel at Kentucky and run smack-dab into the middle of a great, great facility. Plenty of garages – nice garages too. So much of the infield is paved too, not just the garage areas, which makes parking a lot better. And they promote the heck out of their faces too, which shows up in the grandstands no matter what kind of event they are hosting,” Cope said.

“They draw almost as well for ARCA races as some tracks have done for Cup races,” he added. “That kind of effort and promotion, plus giving the fans such a great facility, adds to the specialness of the place.”

The speedway surface itself leads to some great races, he added.

“Just because it’s a mile-and-a-half doesn’t automatically make it a ‘cookie-cutter’ track,” Cope said. “There are some tricks to the place, and it’s different from everything else we run. The fourth turn can be kind of tricky, but that makes it a good place to either pass or to set up a pass. The second turn is a trouble spot so you have to be careful there, but it’s a place where, if you can get through it pretty well, you can pick up some time on the rest of the guys out there.

“You need horsepower, good horsepower, but you need to handle well too. We’ll have a good engine package, I’m sure. The guys on this Advil Ford team and I will spend practice working on getting the car through those corners, especially the second and fourth turns, and if we do a good job with that, we could have a good night on Saturday,” he added.

Cope, a native of Spanaway, Wash., is a two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup race winner. A top athlete whose professional baseball career was cut short by a knee injury in college, he has become one of the top athletes in NASCAR racing, and has become one of the top public spokesmen for the sport.

Jay Robinson Racing, in its fourth season of operation, is one of the fastest-growing teams in NASCAR. Robinson, a Charlotte, N.C., native who is a successful businessman, founded the team as a high-value endeavor that offers high-end equipment and efforts, while proving to be one of the most cost-efficient teams in the sport. Robinson fields two sponsored cars fulltime on the Busch Series: the #49 Advil Ford and the #39 Yahoo! Ford, and runs a third car in most Busch Series events.