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Updates
Aug 02, 2003 - South Sound Speedway
WOW! The "Cope Twins" qualify pole and off pole for the "MILLER 200"!!
Practice seemed to be a promising one for the Cope girls.
Out of twenty-six cars, Amber takes the draw of qualifying first, with some reluctance, Amber does!!! She goes out, with the encouragement from her crew chief and father, Darren Cope, to "do your best". She shocked not only herself, but friends, family, and South Sound Speedway fans, with a track record of 13.99!! With a speed of 96.5 mph around the 1/4 track placing her on pole! Angela came out qualifying with a 14.09, putting her off pole from her sister for the Miller 200!
The main event consisted of 23 cars and an eight car invert. Amber starts in 8th and Angela in 7th. When the green flag dropped, Angela slips into sixth place with Amber a couple of positions behind. Angela passing cars inside and outside, both girls were moving up to the front, Angela moving up to the fourth position, with Amber following close behind. On lap 29 of the Miller 200, Angela passes the #5 car of Eric Tibbitts. On lap 44, in lapped traffic, Angela coming up on Nick Behn, but Nick gets caught up with a couple other cars, Angela gets the car slowed up enough to avoid it, but then gets drilled from behind and gets pushed into the wreck. Angela gets the car going with damage to the front of the car. Amber moves ahead into 3rd position. Angela drags the crippled #35 car into pits with overheating and throwing water, there's a hole in the radiator. The crew tries to fix Angela's car and sends her back out on the track which is still under yellow. Finally the flag goes green again, Wes Rhodes misses a gear and throws the field of cars back into a pile up, Amber narrowly escapes sever damage to the right front, unfortunately Angela takes the most damage and putting her into the wall finishing the night for her. Amber continues to move ahead, on lap 51 she's in 2nd following behind the #5 car of Eric Tibbits. Amber finishes the first 100 laps in 2nd place!!
The field of 13 cars exited to the pits after 100 laps for a 10 minute pit stop to change two right side tires and re-fuel of the cars. Then back on the track for the remaining 100 laps. Amber, in second, following close behind the #5 car in 1st place, continued the race, Amber finally attempts a pass around the leader with success, then driving into turn three, Amber aggressively, noses the #19 car of Dan Rhodes and unfortunately, spins him around and Eric Tibbitts goes outside and takes the lead back. Amber continues patiently behind Tibbitts, with approximately 30 laps to go Amber attempts to take Tibbitts again, both cars nose to nose for two laps, Amber, out of turn one on the inside pinches the corner, given no room, she spins the car. She's back on the track, still on the lead lap, now in fourth, picks up the pace to catch up to the leaders. Unfortunately, after the contact made with Amber, the #5 car of Eric Tibbitts cuts a tire down and races into the pits for a quick tire change, still under yellow gets back on the track, he is now in fourth position following closely behind Amber. The remaining laps are completed with Amber finishing in third for the night.
