Derrike Cope, McGlynn Racing Prepare for Final Race of 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season

Derrike Cope and the McGlynn race team are preparing for the final race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season in Homestead, Florida this weekend.

Wilkes-Barre, PA (PRWeb) November 18, 2006 -- Derrike Cope and the McGlynn race team are preparing for the final race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season in Homestead, Florida this weekend. Cope will drive the #74 Sundance Vacations Dodge in the Ford 400 on Sunday at 2pm.
After failing to qualify for the Checker Auto Parts 500 in Phoenix last weekend Cope said, "It is unfortunate but we have failed to qualify for this weekend's race. All I can say is that we will have to go to Homestead and try to right the ship. We have struggled as of late to find what it takes to make these races. We will get one more shot at it this year and try and get some direction for next year."

Although Cope has yet to participate in a Cup race at the 1.5-mile Homestead track since opening in 1995, he hopes to change that this weekend. He says, "It is here, the last race of the year. I am hoping we can end the season on a high note." Derrike adds, "We certainly have not been able to find the necessary speed in the Sundance Vacations Dodge Charger as of late to qualify for these Nextel Cup races, but we have gone back to a more conventional set up that we were making race with in hopes of being more productive. The crew has been in Virginia putting in a fresh engine that has been rebuilt and are on their way to Florida."

Cope and the McGlynn race team had been using a coil bind setup in the car since the GFS Marketplace 400 in Brooklyn, MI on August 20th. The new setup worked well at first, as Derrike had his best finish of the year in 34th place. However, this weekend they will go back to their old setup and try to rectify their problems as of late. Cope's other finish this season came on June 4th at the Neighborhood Excellence 400 in Dover, Delaware where he finished 37th.

Practice for this weeks Ford 400 will begin on Friday afternoon followed by qualifying at 3pm. Cope finishes, "Once this weekend is over it will be time to assess where we go from here for next year. It will be a short six or seven weeks before testing at Daytona will begin, so there will be no time to waste in figuring out the direction that we need to head towards."

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