Aaron's 312 - Derrike Cope Notes

Derrike Cope Notes, Quotes: Atlanta 312
‘Important race for unsponsored team’

Derrike Cope and the #28 Jay Robinson Racing Ford team head to the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway this week for Saturday’s Atlanta 312 NASCAR Busch Series race.

Cope, a native of Spanaway, Wash., is a former winner of the Daytona 500 and a two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup race winner. A top athlete whose professional baseball career was cut short by a knee injury in college, Cope 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 fifth 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 cars fulltime on the Busch Series.

The thoughts of Jay Robinson Racing Ford driver Derrike Cope heading into Atlanta:

“People are going to see a heck of a race Saturday at Atlanta.

“The rule of thumb is, at least for stock cars, the faster they go, the tougher it is to pass and the less entertaining the race is. That’s just not the case at Atlanta. Whether it’s Trucks or Cup or Busch, the races there have been incredible. Some of the finishes there have been amazing, and some of the most remembered in the sport.

“’Entertainment’ is the keyword for all of it. You have to get people’s attention and keep people’s attention. You have to excite them, show them some great things. Do that, and they not only stay for one race but they keep coming back for the others . . . whether in the grandstands or on television or listening on radio.

“That tends to make this race one of the most crucial. While the track is in Hampton, Atlanta is right up the road – and we get a lot of attention there. Atlanta is the ninth-largest television market in the country. That, in itself, makes it a pretty big race for each team in the series, or at least, each team with national corporations as sponsor. Well, it should make it important for every team in the series.

“Now add in the fact we are looking for long-term sponsorship with this #28 car, and you can see how important Atlanta could be. With all of the corporations headquartered there, our hope is they will take a look at what our team can offer. Taking the fact we’re solidly in the top 30 of the car owners standings – meaning we’re guaranteed a starting position in every race – and the fact that this team can give so much to a sponsor no one else can, and the Atlanta weekend is an important one for us.

“I think one of the reasons Jay (Robinson, team owner) has been successful is the fact that he does understand the marketing aspects of our business, and does understand the basics of ownership. These cars are racing vehicles but they are marketing vehicles too. A car owner who looks at his teams as being both is the one who is going to be successful. A great racing team with no sponsor is not going to be successful for long. A racing team successful from the marketing side needs success on the track as well. Many times, success in one area can lead to success in the other.

“That’s where Jay has done well. To be solid as a race team, you have to be solid on the business side as well. And he has built a strong foundation for Jay Robinson Racing and for the future. Things haven’t always progressed as quickly as we would like but they have progressed. Jay has his eye on the future, and the direction of this race team has always been forward. We’re already putting more good things together for next season, and we’re talking with more potential sponsors as associates and as potential primaries on Jay’s other cars.

“That makes Atlanta a big race for us. All are big races but Atlanta sticks out because of its size.

“The guys on this race team work hard. With the budget constraints we have, I’d say they do a pretty good job. This isn’t one of those $4 or $5 million teams but every bit of sponsorship that comes in goes into the racing effort. The thing about Jay Robinson is if you put $1 million worth of sponsorship into his team, he’ll make it look like $2 million and you will see more than that in return.

“That’s his philosophy that we are carrying into Atlanta, and that’s the reason we’re moving forward with this team. It’s a big race for all of us.”