Derrike Cope Returns to Daytona 500 at Age 62
Derrike Cope won his first NASCAR Cup Series race back in 1990. And it was a big one – the Daytona 500. Racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr was only several hundred yards from taking the green flag when tire-issues slowed him. Cope was there to make the pass and the rest is history.
That was thirty years ago, and now Cope is set to make his return to the site of his first Cup victory at the age of 62. He’ll be piloting the No. 15 Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing complete with a NASCAR Charter.
A NASCAR Charter means the car is automatically in the field and does not have to race in during the Dual Qualifying races or rely on qualifying day speed. For Cope, the return is one he’s been looking for even though he still works as Team Manager for StarCom Racing.
“After you win it, you feel you can go back and win it again,” Cope said during a Zoom interview with reporters. “Every time you go there, you feel that way. I still feel that way.”
Cope noted that he’s aged, but that’s not going to be a factor for him. He says his job is to go out on February 14th and have fun and race hard for the team.
“I don’t have to prove anything,” Cope said. “I don’t have to go down there and worry about anything. I will just go down there and have fun and race the car and hopefully get to 180 laps (of the 200-lap race) before I have to go to battle.”
Final NASCAR Cup Series Start
Cope has not been away from NASCAR since he stopped racing full-time. He raced part-time, owned a team, worked with driver development, and more. But following the 2021 Daytona 500, his last start in the 500 came in 2004, he says this may be the time to hang up his Cup Series helmet permanently.
But, he’s still going to race as hard as he can.
“I will go to Daytona and if I do make it to the end … and be in a position to race hard, they’ll know I’m there. The one thing I have always done is I’m not afraid of anything. I’m not afraid of mixing it up. I’m not afraid of pushing and shoving. I’m not afraid of wrecking.”
Too Old?
Don’t bring up his age. Cope says he’s ready and aware of the skills needed to race. In classic NASCAR driver form, Cope ran down the things a driver looks at when preparing a race.
“I really don’t care what other people think. If I did, I probably wouldn’t be in this position. So, honestly, it’s really about what I want. – Going to a place like Daytona, certainly, I think is a lot more mental and understanding the air and what type of runs, what type of surges the car will get, assessing your car, making good conscious decisions, driving within yourself,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. I think we obviously have a lot of guys that don’t do that.”
As for older drivers in the Daytona 500, Cope is fifteen years older than any other driver in the field. But he’s not the oldest to run in the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing.
- Mark Thompson was 66 years old when he finished just outside the top-twenty during the 2018 Daytona 500. He crossed the start/finish line in the 22nd spot.
- Dave Marcis raced in 33 Daytona 500’s His last run in the Great American Race came when he was 60 in 2002 where he finished 42nd due to his engine going bad.
- At age 72, Morgan Shepherd passed his physical for the 2014 Daytona 500 but failed to qualify. Never count Shepherd out, he raced in two Cup Series races that same season.
A Gift
Cope is set to make NASCAR history if he can pull off the win. But it’s not something he was planning on doing. In fact, the whole thing was a surprise gift after a NASCAR Cup Series career that included two wins and 427 starts beginning in 1982.
According to Cope, racing in the Daytona 500 once more was a surprise from his wife, Elyshia – who is the Marketing Director for StarCom Racing, and the team’s owners. “I wasn’t privy to. … It was a gift. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve loved Daytona. I felt like that if I was going to end things I’d like to be doing it there.”
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