Derrike Cope, the veteran driver who has been racing in the Cup series with Premium Motorsports, has announced he's leaving the team. ESPN, via Jayski tweet, first broke the news.
Official announcement: Cope parts ways with Premium Motorsports https://t.co/VyOlNsJrVr
— Jayski (@jayski) September 11, 2017
There's no word on weather the 58-year-old Cope will try to extend a career in which he's known for winning the Daytona 500 -- nearly three decades ago, in 1990. That year, he won the only two races of his career; he won the Budweiser 500 at Dover. He's currently the oldest active driver in the Cup series.
So there are several questions that this raises. What happens to his seat? Would anyone even want it. Premium Motorsports doesn't have a charter and is an open team with sponsors that tend to be race to race. Maybe a bigger name can attract a bigger sponsor for more stability, but it seems like a reach.
Still, never forget -- anything is possible.