Craftsman Truck Series

Power Stroke Diesel 200
July 25, 2008 - Derrike drove the #74 Dodge truck in the Indianapolis race. Nick Tucker drove Derrike's #73 Dodge truck.

In the first practice, Derrike was 32nd fastest with a time of 29.054 and speed of 102.669. Nick Tucker did not participate in the first practice.

In the second practice, Derrike did not participate. Nick Tucker was 32nd fastest with a time of 24.287 and speed of 101.684.

In qualifying, Derrike ran his fastest lap at 23.743 with speed of 104.014 which put him in 33rd position to the start the race. Nick Tucker ran his fastest lap at 23.756 with speed of 103.957 which put him in 34th position to the start the race.

Derrike started the race in 33rd position and finished in 33rd position. Nick started the race in 34th position and finished in 32nd position.

Built Ford Tough 225
July 19, 2008 - Derrike told us, "Jennifer Jo Cobb has been driving the #74 truck at Kentucky and made a great qualifying lap today on SPEED Channel to get into the starting field. I am proud of the entire team and their efforts there."

In the first practice, Jennifer was 36th fastest with a time of 34.688 and speed of 155.673. In the second practice, she was 37th fastest with a time of 34.417 with a speed of 156.899.

In qualifying, Jennifer ran her fastest lap of 33.150 with a speed of 162.896. At the end of the round she was in 35th position where she started the race. She finished the race in 26th position.

Camping World RV Sales 200
June 20, 2008 - Prior to the weekend, Derrike told us about his trucks. He said, "We are still having trouble with the #73 truck not handling so that will be my next task at hand, probably driving it at Milwaukee to see what I can lend to the situation." Nick Tucker is driving the #74 Dodge truck.

In the first practice, Derrike was 34th fastest with a time of 33.983 and speed of 105.935. Nick Tucker was 32nd fastest with a time of 31.584 and speed of 113.982. In the second practice, Nick Tucker was 32nd fastest with a time of 31.554 and speed of 114.090. For some reason, Larry Gunselman practiced in the #73 with a time of 32.465 and speed of 110.889.

In Qualifying, Larry Gunselman qualified in 36th position with a time of 32.663 and speed of 110.216. Nick Tucker qualified in 32nd position with a time of 31.284 and speed of 115.075.

Larry Gunselman drove the #73 Dodge truck in Milwaukee to a 34th place finish while Nick Tucker finished 33rd in the #74 Dodge.

After the weekend, Derrike said, "First of all, there was a lot going on this weekend. I was scheduled to drive the #73 truck at Milwaukee, but with 48 Nationwide cars showing up I elected to put Larry Gunselman in the #73 truck to get more laps of practice so he would feel more comfortable about qualifying. I never actually drove the truck at Milwaukee. The truck was not very good and we struggled with it. Nick Tucker did a good job in the #74 truck. We seem to have a handle on that truck better than the #73. We will keep working on our new engines and hopefully run them soon."

North Carolina Education Lottery 200
May 16, 2008 - Prior to the weekend, Derrike told us about his trucks. He said, "We are currently getting the number 73 and 74 trucks ready for Charlotte. Nick Tucker will drive the 73 and I will be driving the 74. We have continued to work on our effort after the Kansas Truck race with the intentions of running better and continuing the development of the team. We plan on trying to test my nieces next week and get them ready to run the trucks at Milwaukee. There is a lot going on!"

In the first practice, Derrike was 36th fastest with a time of 32.127 and speed of 168.083. Nick Tucker was 37th fastest with a time of 33.266 and speed of 162.328.

In qualifying, Derrike produced his fastest lap of 31.683 with speed of 170.438. At the end of the round, he was in 31st position where he started the race. Nick Tucker produced his fastest lap of 33.025 with speed of 163.512. This put the truck in 37th position was not fast enough to make the race.

Derrike started the race in 31st position and finished in 36th position.

O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
April 24, 2008 - Derrike is in Kansas City for the Craftsman Truck Series race. He will have two trucks entered. One truck will be the #74 Dodge that Jennifer Jo Cobb will be driving and according to NASCAR.com, is co-sponsoring the #73 Dodge that Michelle Theriault is driving.

In Qualifying, Michelle Theriault in the #73 Dodge was 34th fastest with a time of 34.285 and speed of 157.503. Jennifer Jo Cobb in the #74 Dodge was 36th fastest with a time of 34.841 and speed of 154.990. This is where they both will start the race.

Michelle Theriault finished the race in 34th position. Jennifer Jo Cobb finished the race in 33rd position.

Jennifer Jo Cobb, 34, from Kansas City, Kan., will be driving a Dodge for a new team owned by former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope. She has two Nationwide Series starts in her career.

"I met Derrike through my former ARCA crew chief," Cobb said. "When he acquired some equipment this year, he talked to me about joining efforts. The ultimate goal is to build a team where his nieces, Amber and Angela Cope, myself and possibly some other drivers can all be competing at various levels. I am grateful to work with Derrike as he is business savvy, hands-on, smart about the equipment he owns and he can mentor me, which is a bonus."

Cobb believes Danica Patrick's ground-breaking IndyCar victory as the first woman to win a major race last week will benefit many female drivers. "I am thrilled that Danica has won and has debunked the myth that a woman can't get the job done," Cobb said. "I never imagined that people felt women could not drive racecars or be equal contenders in the sport, but over the years, I've realized those ideas lurk in some people's minds."

Truck Update
April 13, 2008 - Derrike told us, "I do not think at this time I will have anything to drive at Talladega so I will probably be going to Kansas for the truck race where Derrike Cope Inc. will have two trucks entered. The one truck will be number 74 with Jennifer Jo Cobb driving and the other one is still up in the air, although there is a strong possibility that it could be another female driver. I plan on taking the trucks to Charlotte, Mansfield, and Dover after that. The twins (my nieces Amber and Angela Cope) are approved to drive at Mansfield so that is the plan right now. I will drive one of the trucks at Charlotte and Dover and we will make a decision on the other driver in the weeks to come. The seat can be rented by some other drivers that can bring some sponsorship. We will be doing some testing with my nieces in the next few weeks as well prior to the Mansfield Truck races.

"Derrike Cope Inc. is working hard to get the program in a position to be competitive very quickly. We are currently pursuing sponsorship as well."

Dodge Ram Tough 200
October 6, 2007 - Derrike finished the race in 12th position. After the race he said, "This past weekend's race was a great deal of fun for me. We had to overcome some issues, such as repairing the truck from a practice crash, but the entire crew did a great job repairing the truck. We did not qualify the truck and started at the rear of the field, but that did not stop us. We were able to move our way towards the front a number of times.

"We were not getting a great deal of help, but I just kept trying some things (mainly using the high line) to see what I could use later in the race. We were running pretty well when I felt something go wrong with a right front tire. The inside edge of the tire started coming apart and I developed a vibration. We were lucky to get in the pits, because it would not have lasted much longer. That put us a lap down, and we worked very hard to get our lap back and finally did.

"I think we were in a good position before that final caution came out, but we had a good finish despite all the problems and put some needed points in the bank for the team. I really enjoyed the weekend and am looking forward to racing again soon."

He updated us after Friday's events in the truck in which he will be starting the race in 35th position. He said, "In the final practice on Thursday we had a problem which hurt the truck pretty badly. The initial thoughts were to pull out the backup truck. But we would have do a start and park so we opted to fix the truck for Saturday's race. We did not attempt to qualify the truck so we will start in the back. The truck was very strong in the practice before the altercation, so I am still very confident that we will have a good effort tomorrow. I will update you after the race with my thoughts and our results."

In the first practice, Derrike was 14th fastest with a time of 50.837 and speed of 188.367. In the second practice, he was 36th fastest with a time of 53.241 and speed of 179.861.

Derrike told us about the upcoming weekend. He said, "I am looking forward to getting back on the track, and especially at a superspeedway like Talladega. I will be driving the #16 truck. Their driver Brian Scott is not approved for this race, but will be running the ARCA race on Friday to get approval for Daytona in February. I will be helping him a bit throughout the weekend.

"Last time here in the #40 truck we had a chance to win the race until the last lap crash that ended our bid. I am hopeful we can have the same kind of effort but with a lot better result! In talking with Dave Fuge, the crew chief, it sounds like we will spend all our time drafting and not worry about making any qualifying runs. We practice from noon to 3pm with an hour rookie practice in between. I will give you a progress report after final practice."

Dodge Ram Tough 200
September 1, 2007 - Derrike finished the race in 29th position. After the race he said, "The truck was not very good in qualifying, just way too tight, not allowing the truck to turn very well. Although it was just a start and park we were still trying to make some changes to collect data for the team for next year. As the race started the truck continued to struggle with not wanting to turn. Additionally, it was an intermediate truck suited to larger race tracks, so there were no brake ducts cut in the nose, so we began to have some brake fading. I had to back off rather quickly. We came in and out of the pits a few times making some changes and cooling the brakes off to try and pick up some points over the trucks with blown engines and the ones that had crashed."

On Friday he updated us by saying, "There were two practice sessions on Friday. We were not very good in the first one, just very tight and the truck would not turn. We went to the coil bind set up in final practice from the conventional setup which proved to be faster. We still are not right, but are trying to make a few changes today to help that if we can find the parts necessary. We one had one set of tires for all of practice so we never put on new tires to try and post a faster speed. We ended up 26th fastest but I look forward to qualifying today at 1:00 pm."

In the first practice, Derrike was 30th fastest with a time of 34.703 and speed of 129.672. In the second practice, he was 26th fastest with a time of 34.258 and speed of 131.356.

In Qualifying, Derrike ended up being 26th fastest where he will start the race. He produced his fastest lap of 34.831 with speed of 129.195.

Earlier in the week, he said, "I will be going to St. Louis to do a start and park for the #16 truck. They still do not have any sponsorship so they are just trying to maintain their position (29th) in the car owner points."

O'Reilly 200
August 22, 2007 - Derrike will be driving the #16 Ford truck in the Bristol truck race. Qualifying is at 6:30pm EST and the race is at 7:30pm EST.

After the final practice, Derrike updated us by saying, "We were 17th in the first practice and 19th in the final practice. We are just a test session behind the majority of the teams. The truck has been tight and has not really wanted to turn well enough without getting it too loose. Hopefully we can find a little bit in qualifying to get a good starting spot."

Derrike also informed us of the following: "I will also be testing with the #16 truck Monday and Tuesday at Chicagoland with a young driver that is slated to begin driving the #16 truck. At this time I also will do a start and park for the #16 truck at Gateway, because they have no sponsorship to run the race there."

In the first practice, Derrike was 17th fastest with a time of 16.132 and speed of 118.944. In the second practice, he was 19th fastest with a time of 16.162 and speed of 118.723.

In qualifying, Derrike produced a fastest lap of 16.188 with speed of 118.532. At the end of the round, the #16 Ford truck was left in 25th position.

Derrike started the race in 25th and finished in 29th position. After the race he said, "The truck race did not end the way that I had hope it would. We did not qualify as good as I expected to. We made some changes to the truck which made it too loose. But in the race the truck would not turn which was the tendency it had from the start. I had a few altercations which hurt the nose and fenders which aggravated the push in the truck. We later got some track position and was running 19th on the lead lap when Hornaday clipped me from behind and we slapped the wall. We had to go behind the wall for repairs. When we returned we were just trying to log some laps when the group of trucks all slowed ahead of me and I could not stop from running into the back of the truck in front of me which ended our night."

Sam's Town 400
June 8, 2007 - Derrike finished the race in 31st position in the Xpress Motorsports #16 Ford truck in Fort Worth. After the race, he said, "We did what we had to do to keep the #16 truck in the lock in position in points in the Craftsman Truck series. As I mentioned, we only had one set of tires for the weekend. We qualified on 51 lap tires and qualified 32nd with a very conservative effort.

"As for the race we started on those same tires and ran some laps, picking up some positions through attrition. We finally called it a night and finished 31st. Obviously it was a difficult weekend for the team but hopefully they will continue the fight and look for better days to come and procure some funding to be able to get back to competitive racing soon.

"I enjoyed being at the race track though and spent some time in the IRL garage speaking with Greg Beck who owned the car that Alex Barron drove in the Indy 500. We spent some time discussing how things work there and I truly enjoyed it. As well, I saw my friend Larry Foyt who is the team manager for the A.J. Foyt IRL team as well. So I will be watching the race and hoping that Darren Manning does well."

He updated us before the race saying, "We came to Texas looking to use it as a test session which we did. The Xpress team has no sponsorship for this race so we only planned on one set of tires for the event. We practiced relatively well and then qualified on 51 lap tires and qualified 32nd. Tonight we will drop to the back and just run about ten laps to see what the changes do with the used tires. Hopefully some of the things that we have been working on will materialize soon so we can go racing again."

In the first practice, Derrike was 30th fastest with a time of 31.162 and speed of 173.288. In the second practice, he was 25th fastest with a time of 30.908 and speed of 174.712. In qualifying, Derrike's fastest lap was 30.934 with speed of 174.565. This put the #16 Ford in 32nd position where Derrike will start the race.

Chevy Silverado HD 250
February 19, 2007 - Derrike will be driving the Hooters Energy Drink entry for the #7 Pennington Motorsports Chevy Silverado HD 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 16th. Derrike said, "Crew chief Gary Showalter and crew at Pennington Motorsports have put together a great truck for Daytona, and we’re going down to Speedweeks with all intentions of winning the race. I appreciate J Pennington, Gary, and Casey Kingsland calling on me to drive their truck. I raced against the No.7 Hooters car for many years in NASCAR Nextel Cup competition, and look forward to representing the No.7 Hooters Energy Drink Team at Daytona."

In the first practice, Derrike was 19th fastest with a time of 48.902 and speed of 184.042. In the final practice, he was 28th fastest with a time of 49.322 with speed of 182.474. In qualifying, Derrike was 29th fastest with a time of 51.864 with speed of 173.531.

In the 24th lap, Derrike was involved in an accident that resulted in a 33rd place finish.

After the race, Derrike said, "I really enjoyed the Truck race on Friday night. I hate that we ran into so many problems because the truck ran very fast and handled great! I believe that if we had not gotten wrecked we would have been a factor in the outcome of the race. Gary Showalter, the Crew Chief, and the crew provided a very proficient ride and it was a pleasure to work with all of them. I wish them and Casey, their young driver, all the best this weekend in California and throughout the year! I really appreciated the opportunity to drive the Truck at Daytona."

EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
October 28, 2006 - Derrike finished the race in 28th position. After the race, Derrike said, "We suffered a major blow on the first fast lap of practice. We had a heim joint on the sway bar arm get into the right front tire and cut it down sending me up into the wall off of turn four. It hurt the primary truck to the point in which the back up truck had to be pulled off the transporter. The Key Motorsports team did a fantastic job to get the car ready for the race. We were unable to get it ready for qualifying so we had to start shotgun on the field with no laps of practice.

"As the race started we were quite loose and had a few issues to overcome. We lost a lap trying to change the right rear spring. From there Barry Dodson worked hard to add some spring rubbers and adjust the air pressures to get the truck to a point to become more competitive. We finished 28th. Certainly we had higher expectations for the weekend, but things do not always go as planned. That will be my last race in the truck for the year, but I want to thank Curtis Key and Barry Dodson for the opportunity to drive for them, and wish them continued success for the rest of the year."

Derrike brushed the turn four wall on his first hot lap of practice and the Key Motorsports team had to go to the backup truck for Derrike to qualify. The truck did not get a speed in qualifying but will start the race in 36th position.

Derrike will be looking to finish the business the second time around for Key Motorsports after agreeing to again drive the No. 40 Chevrolet Silverado in the EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In his first race for the fledgling truck series team owned by Chesapeake, Virginia plumbing contractor Curtis W. Key, Sr., Cope eyed a possible top five finish with a scintillating run at the Talladega Superspeedway a couple of weeks ago only to be taken out on the final lap by Series point leader Todd Bodine. Cope wants to finish the business this time with another strong run.

“We had a dynamite truck at Talladega; one that had the capability of winning the race if all of the cards fell our way,” Cope said.

“Barry (crew chief Barry Dodson) and the crew worked their tails off to give me a truck at Talladega that was really fast and in a position to challenge at the end of the race. I guess that it just was not meant to be for us to finish that race, so I’m hoping that I can finish the business for them in Atlanta,” said Cope.

“Derrike did everything we expected him to do when we decided to hire him to drive our race truck at Talladega,” Dodson explained. “He’s a veteran who knows how to take care of his equipment and when and when not to race. We’re counting on that same ability when he climbs into our truck next weekend in Atlanta, and we’re looking to this time finish the race on our terms and not someone else’s,” Dodson added.

The Key Motorsports entry in the Atlanta race will carry associate sponsorship from the Atlanta Airport Hilton Hotel and Cope and Dodson will make a “Meet and Greet” appearance for fans at the hotel’s Finish Line Sports Bar at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night, October 26.

Thanks to Key Motorsports for the photo

John Deere 250
October 7, 2006 - Derrike finished the truck race in 27th position. On lap 22, Derrike had a flat left rear tire and had to come to the pits. He was up to 5th earlier in the race. Derrike made his way up through the field again. On the final lap, he got in an accident. After the race, Derrike said, "I have to say how disappointed I am for the Key Motorsports team! They did a great job preparing this truck and a fantastic job repairing the truck after the left rear tire came apart. I had a lot of fun in the draft and was able to drive hard and get to the front in short order. I really felt like there would be a great chance to get close to a win. But it was not to be. Todd Bodine got into me and put us in the fence ending our bid. We had made a deal to go with Mike Skinner who had a fast truck, but when you get three wide and four wide it really disturbs the air and business really picks up! But what a great effort! The one good thing is that I did not sustain any injuries and I get to put this race behind me and best of all get to go do it again for 500 miles on Sunday in the Cup car."

An article about Derrike's finish was posted at TruckSeries.com

The #40 Chevrolet will be starting the race in 32nd position. Derrike gave us an update for Friday. He said, "Practice in the Key Motorsports truck went very well. We never did a qualifying run, just ran in the draft to get it driving well for the race. We ended up 6th fastest in the final practice. The truck is really stable in the draft so I am very excited for Saturday. In qualifying I am not sure where we ended up, somewhere around 30th. (Webmaster: actually 32nd) So we will have to draft our way to the front."

In the first practice, Derrike was 21st fastest with a time of 50.460 and speed of 189.774. In the second practice, he was 6th fastest with a time of 49.600 and speed of 193.065.

Derrike told us, "I will also be driving a Craftsman Truck at Talladega as well. I will be driving a Chevrolet Silverado for Key Motorsports, truck number 40, where I will team up with my old crew chief and friend Barry Dodson. I am really excited about driving a truck again. I have known Curtis Key for some time. When my friend and business partner Leon Fox and I had our Busch team in the Mooresville Motorsports Complex, Curtis was running in the Busch Series from there as well and we got to know each other. I am looking forward to working with Barry Dodson and another former teammate, Tommy Morgan who works on the team, and was with the Bob Whitcomb team with Buddy Parrott."

2005

World Financial Group 200
March 18, 2005 - Look for Derrike in the #48 James Western Star/Sterling Dodge truck.

In the first practice, Derrike was 30th fastest with a time of 31.341 and speed of 176.893. In the second practice, he was 29th fastest with a time of 31.051 and speed of 178.545.

During qualifying, Derrike had a lap of 30.982 with a speed of 178.943. Even though this was the 26th fastest time, due to the new owner rules, he was not able to make the 36 truck field.

American Racing Wheels 200
February 25, 2005 - Look for Derrike this weekend in a Craftsman Truck. He will be qualifying the #48 Dodge owned by James Hylton. "I will be qualifying the same truck that we ran at Phoenix last year where we qualified mid-pack," Derrike said.

In the first practice, Derrike was 34th fastest with a time of 43.280 and speed of 166.359. in the 2nd practice, he was 33rd fastest with a time of 42.599 and speed of 169.018.

In qualifying, Derrike produced a lap of 42.087 and speed of 171.074. This was faster than the last 3 of the 36 trucks for the race but because of having to take the top 30 trucks in owner points, they were allowed in and Derrike missed the race.

After qualifying, Derrike updated us with the following. He said, "Regarding the Truck series, we were unable to get the truck in the field with the new Lock in system that NASCAR has implemented. I have no further plans to drive that truck."

Florida Dodge Dealers 250
February 18, 2005 - Derrike will attempt to qualify the #48 Dodge truck for James Hylton for the Daytona Craftsman Truck race. The sponsor is James Western Star/Sterling. Derrike will also be driving for James Hylton at California.

Derrike did not participate in the first practice because of problems with getting the truck through inspection. In Happy Hour, Derrike was 38th fastest with a time of 49.912 and speed of 180.317.

In qualifying, Derrike's first lap was 52.271 with a speed of 172.18. The second lap was 51.968 with a speed of 173.183. This was last place, 17th, at the time. At the end of the round, Derrike was left in 42nd position which was not good enough to make the show. Below are pictures of Derrike during the qualifying effort.

In discussing the Craftsman Truck qualifying Derrike indicated that the inspection problems and the only three or four laps of practice that resulted just couldn't be overcome. "We just couldn't get the truck fast enough," Derrike said. "Additionally, we had a problem with the truck bottoming out throughout the run."

Ford 200
November 18, 2004 - Derrike attempted to drive the #48 Dodge truck in Homestead. In the first practice Derrike was 45th fastest with a time of 33.368 and speed of 161.832. In qualifying, the lap was 32.515 with a speed of 166.077. Unfortunately this was not quite enough to make the race since only 36 trucks race so the team missed the show.

Chevy Silverado 150 presented by Valley Chevy Dealers
November 5, 2004 - Derrike drove the #148 James Western Star Sterling Dodge. In the first practice, he was 28th fastest with a time of 28.401 and speed of 126.756. In qualifying, Derrike produced a lap of 28.072 and speed of 128.242 which turned out to be the 25th fastest time and where Derrike will be starting the race. In Happy Hour, Derrike was 32nd fastest with a time of 28.930 and speed of 124.438.

Derrike started the race in 25th position and finished in 22nd position.

Derrike gave us an update after the race. He said, "As you all probably know, in Phoenix I drove a Craftsman truck for James Hylton #48. The car owner is Ray Rhodes from Canada. Things went pretty well out there. We qualified 25th and finished 22nd. All in all a pretty good day.

"As for Homestead I will be driving the #48 truck again and qualifying is on Thursday. Talk to you all next week when it is all over for the year."

Photo courtesy of TruckSeries.com

Photo courtesy of High Sierra Photo

Infineon 200
May 21, 2004 - Derrike has a friend, James Hylton, from Spartanburg, SC who had a truck entered but had no driver. They needed someone with some experience to qualify the truck in the race for them. This was the #148 James Western Star Sterling Dodge.

The problem was the truck never made it through inspection until there was only twenty minutes left in practice. As a result, in the first practice, Derrike was 38th fastest with a time of 35.585 and speed of 151.749. After the lap Derrike told them that it would not make the field in its current configuration. So the team went home to work on the truck instead of trying to qualify.

Ford 200
November 18, 2003 - At the last minute, Derrike attempted to qualify for the Ford 200 race in Homestead driving the #93 Chevrolet for Troxell/MacDonald Racing. His qualifying lap was 33.477 with speed of 161.305 but it was not fast enough to make the race.
 

Derrike drove some races for Impact Motorsports in the #86 National Wild Turkey Federation Ford. Here are his results:

Photos courtesy of Impact Motorsports

Derrike ran two truck races in 2000.
 

October 13, 2000 - Initially, Derrike avoided three major accidents that sent a total of 14 trucks behind the wall at the Friday the 13th truck race at the Texas Motor Speedway. 

Derrike was advancing into the top ten on lap 114 when the 24 truck, driven by Jack Sprague, spun and came down the track hitting the #86 Impact Motorsports Dodge. Derrike went low on the track in a futile attempt to avoid Sprague. Derrike was hit on the right side and then hit the interior wall hard with the left side of the RC Cola Dodge. Fortunately, Derrike walked away from the crash.

We have a Video clip from the race which is in streaming Media Player format.  If you have trouble playing it, and you are using Internet Explorer, you can right-click on the link and download it for local playing.

Following was Derrike's results for the series:

Actually Derrike finished the year point standings in a tie with Dave Marcis for 71st, but NASCAR shows him in 72nd.

Note: If you can fill in any missing stats or photos, please let us know.
Thanks to Martin Vincent for 1995 stats.
Thanks to Nick and also Racing One for the California 2000 stats.