Bojangles’ And Derrike Cope Reunite For Darlington Throwback Scheme
Photo of artist rendition by Ryan Daley contributed by Bojangles’
By Hunter Thomas
Contributing Writer
Bojangles’ and Derrike Cope are reuniting for the 69th running of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Labor Day weekend. The restaurant known for its Famous Chicken n’ Biscuits, will adorn the StarCom Racing No. 99 Chevrolet, throwing it back to the 1993 season.
While most drivers will be honoring others during The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR at Darlington Raceway, Cope will be throwing it back 25 years to his 1993 season, when he drove the No. 98 Bojangles’ Ford for NASCAR Hall of Famer and Timmonsville, South Carolina native, Cale Yarborough.
“Derrike and I actually first spoke about this opportunity last year in Darlington,” said Randy Poindexter, Senior VP of Marketing at Bojangles’. “The Bojangles’ brand was all-in on making this partnership happen. I was with Bojangles’ when we sponsored him 25 years ago, so it’s going to bring back great memories seeing Derrike on track in the yellow-and-red Bojangles’ car.”
During the 1993 season, Cope led 30 laps of the Daytona 500. His best finish of the year came at Talladega Superspeedway, when he crossed the finish line in eighth. Cope finished 17th in both races held at Darlington Raceway in 1993 as well.
“I am truly pleased and thankful to be back with Bojangles’ 25 years later,” said Derrike Cope, StarCom Racing Team Manager and Driver. “My relationship with Bojangles’ and the people that were there in 1993 is incredible. There were a lot of promotions to activate Bojangles’ entry into NASCAR. Looking forward to sharing a lot of old memories with the Bojangles’ family.”
Cope has been racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for more than 30 years. His most notable victory in his 426 series starts came in the 1990 Daytona 500.
“We are honored to be partnering with Bojangles’ for Darlington and are looking forward to bringing the 1993 throwback to life on the track,” said William Woehlemann, StarCom Racing CFO. “It’s cool seeing Derrike switch gears from team manager to driver on race weekends and we are definitely looking forward to hearing his back-in-the-day stories this upcoming throwback race!”
The one-race partnership between Bojangles’ and Cope is truly a throwback that speaks volumes of the involvement of both parties throughout NASCAR’s 70-year history. While not all throwback schemes have been unveiled for the 69th running of the Bojangles’ Southern 500, Cope is only the third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver to be honoring one of his own rides. The other two drivers honoring their own throwback schemes so far are Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 will broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) and the Motor Racing Network (MRN) at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 2.
