The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will have a new team on the track during the 2018 season. StarCom Fiber, a New Jersey based telecommunications company, announced they are launching a team for next season.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of StarCom Racing, a NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series race team. Stay tuned for more info this week! pic.twitter.com/O1hfv5X9oi
— StarCom Racing (@StarcomRacing) September 25, 2017
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StarCom Racing owner and CFO William Woehlemann said in a statement he is excited for the opportunity to race in the Cup Series.
"We are excited about this new business venture and have been working hard to build our team's foundation on professional leadership and quality equipment that we intend to bring to the track within the coming weeks," Woehlemann said.
The team also announced that veteran driver Derrike Cope will drive the No. 00 car for the team.
Veteran & highly respected driver in his field, Derrike Cope, will race StarCom Racing?s Chevy 00! #chevy #nascar@NASCAR @NASCARonNBC pic.twitter.com/RcePBXfawN
— StarCom Racing (@StarcomRacing) September 26, 2017
Cope, 58, will be the oldest full-time driver in the NASCAR field. He's raced in 13 races this season for Premium Motorsports, and he has competed off and on in the Cup Series since 1982. He has two career wins in the Cup Series--one at Daytona and one at Dover--which both came in 1990.
The team could field other drivers if they can secure sponsorships, but they will at least field one car with Cope next season.
The team's initial plan was to have Cope race for StarCom Racing this weekend at Dover, but they decided to back out to ensure they could have a fully staffed crew for their debut.
(h/t ESPN)