Twin Nieces of Daytona 500 Champ Derrike Cope to be First Twins to Compete in Same Nationwide Series Race
READING, Pa. May 11, 2011 – After rewriting the NASCAR history books last year with the help of ODYSSEY® batteries, the Cope Twins – Angela and Amber – plan to add another chapter by becoming the first twins to compete in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race – on Sunday, May 22 at Iowa Speedway. ODYSSEY® batteries will be along once more for the historical ride as a co-primary sponsor of both young ladies.
The duet, which made history last season by becoming the first twins to ever race against each other in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions by competing in the Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville, make their return to NASCAR at the beautiful 7/8-mile tri-oval in Newton, Iowa, just 30 miles from Des Moines.
The twins will be driving for a new team within Keystone Motorsports. Amber will drive a No. 93 Ford while Angela will pilot a No. 94 Chevrolet. The team plans to also run at Kentucky Speedway in July, with hopes of competing in more races later in 2011.
The ODYSSEY® battery logo will have positions on both cars, including the hoods, rear quarter panels and the TV panels.
“Without ODYSSEY® batteries we would not have been able to make our first NASCAR start at Martinsville,” said Angela Cope, 27, who is originally from Puyallup, Washington. “We now have another opportunity to make a name for ourselves in the sport, thanks again to ODYSSEY® batteries. We have a solid, young team with good equipment and feel this is just the beginning for us in the sport.”
“This is what we have wanted to do since we were nine years old racing go carts,” added Amber, whose uncle is 1990 Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope. “When we moved here to North Carolina six years ago, our goal was to race stock cars. Now is our chance. We can’t wait to get to Iowa.”
“They kept their noses clean last year at Martinsville,” said Derrike, who has been both a mentor and coach to his nieces in their goal to make it in NASCAR. “They were patient, got some track time and finished 26th (Amber) and 30th (Angela). They have the talent and need this opportunity.”
The Twins’ resume includes countless go-cart victories and multiple championships. Since moving east they have competed in super late models and ARCA.
Opening practice for the Iowa race is set for Friday, May 20, with qualifying on Saturday, May 21, at 4:40 p.m. (EST). The race gets the green flag on Sunday, May 22, at 2 p.m. (EST).
The co-primary sponsorship of the Cope Twins continues a motorsports effort by ODYSSEY® batteries by EnerSys®, which has also been with Richard Childress Racing since 2009.
ABOUT ENERSYS EnerSys®, the world leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures, distributes and services reserve power, motive power and starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries, chargers, power equipment, and battery accessories to customers worldwide. SLI batteries are used for trucks and buses, passenger cars, boats, personal watercraft, ATVs, motorcycles and garden tractors. The company also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers from more than 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world. For more information about EnerSys and its ODYSSEY® batteries, visit www.enersys.com or www.ODYSSEYbattery.com.
