Derrike Cope | |||||||
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Cope at Road America in 2014
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Born |
Spanaway, Washington |
November 3, 1958 ||||||
Achievements | 1990 Daytona 500 Winner | ||||||
Awards | 1984 Winston West Series Rookie of the Year | ||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
411 races run over 26 years | |||||||
Car no., team | No. 55 (Premium Motorsports) | ||||||
Best finish | 15th (1995) | ||||||
First race | 1982 Winston Western 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
Last race | 2017 Kobalt 400 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
First win | 1990 Daytona 500 (Daytona) | ||||||
Last win | 1990 Budweiser 500 (Dover) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
280 races run over 22 years | |||||||
2016 position | 29th | ||||||
Best finish | 20th (2011) | ||||||
First race | 1990 Budweiser 300 (New Hampshire) | ||||||
Last race | 2016 Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas) | ||||||
First win | 1994 NE Chevy 250 (New Hampshire) | ||||||
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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career | |||||||
15 races run over 7 years | |||||||
Best finish | 51st (2007) | ||||||
First race | 1995 Fas Mart SuperTruck Shootout (Richmond) | ||||||
Last race | 2008 Power Stroke Diesel 200 (IRP) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of March 12, 2017. |
Derrike Cope (born November 3, 1958) is an American professional driver and team owner. He is known for his win in the 1990 Daytona 500. He currently competes part-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 55 Chevrolet SS for Premium Motorsports.
Cope was born in San Diego, California, and was raised in Spanaway, Washington. In high school, he enjoyed auto racing and baseball. He was a catcher on the Bethel High School baseball team, and later attended Whitman College to continue his baseball dreams. While being scouted by major league baseball teams, Cope suffered a knee injury that ended his hopes of a big-league career. He then devoted himself to racing full-time.
Cope progressed through the short-track ranks in the Northwest, and later made his Winston Cup debut at Riverside International Raceway in 1982. Cope's No. 95 car finished 36th there after developing an oil leak, and he won $625.
He ran part-time in the Winston Cup series after that, making an attempt at Rookie of the Year in 1987. In 1989, he signed with Bob Whitcomb to drive the No. 10 Purolator Pontiac and later Chevrolet, posting four top-10 finishes.