Former '500 winners to debut new teams at Indy.
Two of NASCAR's elder statesmen will attempt to debut new teams this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Geoffrey Bodine and former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope both make a run at the Brickyard 400.
Fifty-five year-old Bodine and forty-five year old Cope are among the 51 drivers attempting to make the 11th annual Brickyard 400 starting field and while they bring more than 40 years combined NASCAR Nextel Cup experience with them, it will take a mammoth effort from both to get their new mounts into the top 38 during Friday's Bud Pole qualifying session.
Two of NASCAR's elder statesmen will attempt to debut new teams this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Geoffrey Bodine and former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope both make a run at the Brickyard 400.
Fifty-five year-old Bodine and forty-five year old Cope are among the 51 drivers attempting to make the 11th annual Brickyard 400 starting field and while they bring more than 40 years combined NASCAR Nextel Cup experience with them, it will take a mammoth effort from both to get their new mounts into the top 38 during Friday's Bud Pole qualifying session.
Bodine, who made his NASCAR Cup debut in 1979 and counts the 1986 Daytona 500 among his 18 career Cup victories will drive the Gary Trout owned #34 Dodge with sponsorship from the City of El Paso while Cope, who famously beat Dale Earnhardt on the last lap to win the 1990 Daytona 500, will debut the imaginatively titled #62 SWAT Racing Chevrolet.
Bodine, who has already made three Nextel Cup starts this year for William Edwards' #98 Lucas Oil sponsored team this year, showed an impressive turn of speed in the #34 Dodge during testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this month, finishing 27th overall of the 38 teams who recorded a time.
For Cope, who lost his ride with the #50 Arnold Motorsports team following the Coca Cola 600 in May, this will be the first time he has driven the #62 Larry Hollenbeck owned machine in anger.
