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| Young Travis Cope sets Fast Time for 41st Annual Governor's Cup 200 | Cope Media
Travis Cope and the #26 Grubbs Emergency Services team were on cloud nine as Cope set fast time in his first ever Governor’s Cup start. With veterans such as Wayne Anderson, Jimmy Cope and Billy Bigly Jr. in the field, a pole position was a huge accomplishment for the young driver. However, the joyfulness was cut short as a rookie mistake ended the night at the start of the race.
“Practice started out great,” explained Cope. “We were good Friday night, but decided to make a few adjustments which turned out for the better. We were confident going into qualifying, but surprised to find out we set fast time.”
Pressure mounted on the youngster as he sat in the pole position. With the #07 of Jeff Scoffield on the outside of the front row and the #84 of Wayne Anderson in his rearview mirror, Cope knew he was going to need a good start to stay up front ahead of the seasoned veterans.
“My dad [Mike Cope] constantly reminded me on the radio of a smooth start. Smart, Smooth and Concise, that was all I was thinking as I headed towards the start. I felt as if I was going straight coming off of turn four, as I pulled high gear. At that point I had no turn in the wheel. The way the car reacted was as if I had gotten hit from behind, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case. Before I had a chance to react, the car was already sideways. I didn’t want to overcorrect to save the car and take the chance of possibly taking out the field. I was praying I could keep it away from the wall, but once I felt the contact, I knew the night was over."
“I hate it for my team. They worked their butts of all weekend, and gave me a car that was faster than anybody here. Nobody feels worse about what happened than I do.”
Mike Cope had a few thoughts going into the prestigious short track event with his son sitting on the pole.
“The thought ran through my mind to send Travis to the back for the start,” stated the elder Cope. “The Governor’s Cup is a big deal in Florida short track racing, and I didn’t want to risk nerves getting in the way of his true driving ability, but I thought twice. In his [Travis’s] first ever start in a Super he started on the outside front row with no problems at all, so I figured this wouldn’t be any different. Unfortunately, rookie mistakes happen and they only way to correct mistakes is to learn from them and know they won’t happen again.”
Even though this is not the way Cope and his team wanted to end the 2006 racing season, they are geared up for more opportunities to continue this young talents strive for the top.
“We are here to capture as much seat time as possible and learn from the type of rookie mistakes that happened tonight,” said a positive young Cope. “Mistakes are okay if they are only made once, and I’ll tell you now it won’t happen again. I‘m sure of that!”
Travis Cope and the entire Grubbs Emergency Services team would like to thank all of the fans for their support throughout the entire 2006 racing season. Cope and his team look forward to your continued support in the future and wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season!
For more information on the 2007 racing plans for Travis Cope and the #26 Grubbs Emergency Services Chevrolet, and/or sponsorship inquiries, please contact Tommy Dunford at 352-486-2858 or visit us on the web at www.traviscope.com.
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