NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
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TRUCKS: Cope Twins To Make NASCAR History
The Cope sisters will become the first twins to compete in the same NASCAR race Saturday at Martinsville Speedway...
Megan Englehart  |  Posted October 19, 2010   Martinsville, VA
Twin sisters, 27-year old Amber (Left) and Angela Cope (Right), are the nieces of 1990 Daytona 500 Winner Derrike Cope . (Photo: Courtesy of TwinMotorSports.com)
• NASCAR driver Derrike Cope’s nieces, Amber and Angela Cope will make NASCAR history
• First twins to compete in the same nationally touring NASCAR Series event on Saturday
• Amber and Angela Cope. 27, have tested NASCAR Camping World Series trucks twice

Amber and Angela Cope, Derrike Cope’s nieces, will become the first twins ever to compete in the same NASCAR event in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (1 p.m. ET live on SPEED™; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 12:30 p.m. ET).

Saturday’s race marks the 27-year-old twins’ NASCAR debut. The women, who will drive identically painted trucks, have been racing in other divisions since they were nine years old and hope to compete in at least one more of the season’s four remaining Truck Series races following Martinsville. Additional and tentative plans call for the twins to enter the ARCA Racing Series race next February at Daytona International Speedway, as well as other NASCAR events.

The third-generation racers have tested twice with their uncle, Derrike Cope, in recent days in preparation for Martinsville, and say driving style is one thing they don’t have in common.

“I think I would be more of the patient one,” Amber said. “I kind of wait for things and wait for the right moment, and I think Angela is the opposite of that.”
Angela (Left) and Amber Cope (Right) are both on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry list for Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

“Racing-wise, I don’t wait for things to happen like Amber does,” explained Angela, who won the Forza Motorsport Showdown on SPEED in 2007, a series that put six amateur racers to the ultimate test of high-performance driving and mechanical skills. “If there’s a spot, I’m going to go for it, whether it’s good or bad, whereas Amber tends to hold back a little more and is more patient. I’m the one that likes to get it all done on the first lap. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad.”

Derrike Cope says he was pleased with the ladies’ quick progress in a short time during their test sessions.

“They had a solid day,” Derrike Cope said. “We threw a lot at them from mock qualifying runs to pit road speed to you name it … My advice is to be very focused and drive within themselves and their equipment. We don’t have top-flight equipment and you only can do so much with what you have. Try to have fun and a solid effort. Just think and not get caught up in things too much.”

Amber and Angela have set their own goals for Saturday.

“We want to finish,” Angela said. “We want to get some laps and get comfortable. We’re just out there to learn and not get in anyone’s way … We’re very fortunate to be given the opportunity and we’re ready. We’re as ready as we’re going to be at this point. We’re going to be okay.”

About SPEED™ - SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 80 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group - FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.
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