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NASCAR WCUP: Cope signs on with Fenley-Moore Motorsports for full 2000 slate

17 September 1999

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Sept. 17, 1999) – NASCAR Winston Cup veteran and
former Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope will drive the No. 15 Ford
Taurus of Fenley-Moore Motorsports in two of the remaining 1999 events
and the full season in 2000, the team has announced.

“We’re happy to have Derrike on the team,” said Robert Fenley, who with
his wife Sue, brother Randy and NASCAR legend Bud Moore formed
Fenley-Moore Motorsports this past summer.  “He’s a nice guy, very
articulate, and he just wants to go out there and race.  I think we’ll
be able to accommodate him.  With quality equipment and a first-rate
operation, he should be able to really showcase his talent.”

The 40-year-old Cope, a veteran of 347 Winston Cup races, including his
1990 Daytona 500 victory, will drive the No. 15 at the upcoming UAW-GM
Quality 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte Oct. 10, and the
season-ending NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Nov. 21.

“This is a coming home for me, of sorts,” Cope said.  “When I made the
drive down South in 1982, there was a bit of culture shock.  But the
first place I came to rest was Spartanburg and Bud’s shop – I
immediately fell in love with the place and wanted to settle there.
They say, ‘fate,’ right?  Well, I really feel at home with these folks.
They’re genuine ‘people’ people, and they’re passionate about their
racing.  I think it’s an atmosphere where a driver like me can thrive.”

While the team continues to work towards securing sponsorship
commitments necessary to grow into a multi-car effort, its focus on the
racetrack for the remainder of this season, aside from racing at
Charlotte and Atlanta, is an aggressive testing program at next season’s
first four race venues – Daytona, Rockingham, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

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