Sunday, November 12, 2017

Talking to current Cup drivers

I was just looking at the Phoenix finishing lineup, and it occurred to me that winner Matt Kenseth is one of the few current NASCAR Cup drivers I've ever talked to.


I NEVER TALKED TO DALE JR.
I've been in a press room with several drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., but I never talked to any of them one-on-one.

I've interviewed Kenseth a few times on the phone; he did a wonderful job. I remember asking points leader Kevin Harvick a question or two a few years ago during a Media Tour stop at Richard Childress Racing.

I talked to Jimmie Johnson once when he was a rookie back in the day. The Phoenix driver I knew the best was Derrike Cope, who finished 32nd today. In 1990, we were at Charlotte, and I talked to Cope near his trailer. He'd lucked into a Daytona 500 win that year (Dale Earnhardt bust a tire on the last lap), so I asked about it. He had plenty to say.

Cope said that, one day, he was going to whip their butts and show them what he could do. I didn't need to run his interview that weekend, so I saved him until the next week, Pocono. Naturally, he won running away, whipping their butts, and I looked good.

Those were the only two wins of his Cup career (so far).

Also, a bunch of us, including Derrike, once had dinner together at Darlington. The waitress was named Angel. Derrike was, and I suspect still is, a good guy.

• Good timing for Derrike Cope


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