Retired Truck Series team owner D.J. Copp “got the itch”, and it led him to Pro Late Model racing

There’s an old saying that once you’re a racer, you’re always a racer. No statement could be more true for D.J. Copp. From going over the wall changing tires, to owning a Craftsman Truck Series team and even a stint working on air with ESPN, Copp’s journey in motorsports, and specifically NASCAR, contained just about every type of work you can think of. Of course, there always comes a time when things have run their course, and for Copp that was in 2019 when he and his Truck Series team Copp Motorsports stepped back from competition in NASCAR’s national series. 

That was the end, so it seemed. Copp had spent the past seven years as a full-time soccer dad, traveling to his daughters’ games on the weekend rather than being at the racetrack. So what changed? Just as so many do that step away from the sport, D.J. Copp got the itch. Unlike some who choose to ignore it, Copp chose to scratch the itch, and bring Copp Motorsports back to life, only this time in Pro Late Model competition. 

Copp made his debut as a Pro Late Model car owner at the CARS Tour Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway, reuniting with old friend and driver Bayley Currey as Currey got behind the wheel of the No. 83 machine. After starting deep in the field, Currey drove up to ninth by the end of the 100-lapper, giving Copp his first top-10 as a car owner since current World of Outlaws Late Model driver Nick Hoffman scored a top-10 with Copp in the Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway in 2018. In the process, Currey earned the FloRacing Field Master award for passing the most cars on the night.

Despite the cost of racing being at an all-time high, Copp is happy to be back at the racetrack and would like to be here to stay. 

“Man, I’ve been helping my friends go to the racetrack, I’m an old dirt track racer myself and I just got the itch,” Copp told Short Track Scene. “So I put a social post out that said I was starting to get the itch and it was rewarding to see how many people encouraged me to get back into it. Then I talked to a couple people, we found a car, we bought it about two and a half weeks ago and found out that it wasn’t quite what we were told it was going to be when we got it. We’ve been struggling to rebuild it because of time honestly, and just not knowing these cars. 

“It takes a little bit to get back into a rhythm but also to understand these cars. That’s why I’m thankful to have Bayley because he’s got the knowledge to help expedite the learning curve.”

Currey and Copp worked together in the Truck Series back in 2017, picking up a top-10 at Phoenix Raceway. Now, nearly a decade later and both at much different stages of their respective careers, Currey was happy to be reunited and working together again, with the seat time also serving as a beneficial warmup to some commitments upcoming later this season. 

“D.J. got a car and he’d been calling me asking for advice on what to do, how to do it and coming to this race,” Currey told Short Track Scene. “He was just like “well, do you just want to drive it too?” and I was like yeah sure, lets do it. It’s kind of cool being throwback weekend that it’s kind of a throwback to me and D.J. racing together, … Having fun, getting laps, I am going to run some Truck races at the end of this year so I don’t want to be going in cold turkey.”

The Copp Motorsports team was made up of just three people over the course of the weekend at Hickory, those being Currey, Copp himself and his daughter Hayleigh. The lack of extra hands was a strategic one as Copp feels he needs to learn these cars for himself to make his return worth the while, rather than leaning on someone else in the industry.

“We didn’t bring any help, it’s just Bayley and I,” Copp said. “The reason was because if I had somebody here that said they knew what they were doing, I don’t know if they really do because I don’t know enough to hold them accountable. So what better way to learn than to be a part of every aspect of it and that’s what we’re doing.”

Pro Late Model racing, and late model competition as a whole are uncharted waters for Copp despite his diverse career in motorsports. He was very firm on his stance of not finding level ground or enjoyment with NASCAR, and an intrigue for a more affordable form of racing led him to be CARS Tour, rather than a return to NASCAR’s national series. Even still, Copp felt like a David amongst Goliath’s rolling through the gates at Hickory, but says that’s just a part of growing, learning and having fun. 

“Yeah, I don’t like NASCAR,” Copp said. “I’ve been in those meetings, … I’ll be honest I have no desire to go back to that organization. I’ve been in owners meetings where they’ve said one thing and a different thing happened and I’m like you know what, let’s just go out here, get rid of a lot of the politics, let’s just have some fun. It’s expensive but it’s also cheaper at the same time.

“It was interesting because I’m parked outside the gate and we’ve got Rhet Jones and Nelson Motorsports, and I’ve got a 26-foot enclosed trailer that I used to restock my store that I had at the time. No air conditioning in this thing, to go from our 53-foot featherlite in the Truck Series to now in a 26-foot enclosed trailer, we were literally throwing things out. But, I don’t care, I’m here for me now. There was a time when the image was this and you’ve got to have that. Now, no, let’s just go have some fun and work our asses off.”

Building a late model team from the ground up is a work in progress, especially with the cost of everything in the sport through the roof. Copp would like to become a permanent fixture in the CARS Tour pit area, even if there are some growing pains, and he’s got some unique ideas on how he can contribute to the sport and the series.

“I’d love to run full-time next year,” Copp said. “I want to find a female driver. I feel like in this industry there’s a lot of rental programs that just simply take money and not necessarily deliver what they’re supposed to. I’m spending my money now so that I can learn, so that when I put my word behind whoever it is that wants to rent my car and try to do something next year, I know I can back it up. 

“I’m not into the storytelling. I would love to see a female driver, and help her to the top with my expertise. Like, with my knowledge of being all the way from top to bottom in the industry, I feel like I could help somebody get there. But, it’s growing pains, it’s baby steps and that’s what we’ve got to do first. That’s what I’m doing now is paying my dues so that whenever I say I can do something, I can do it.”

Any time a new team enters the late model racing world, it’s a plus for the sport. Having someone with industry knowledge such as Copp, who knows the ins and outs of running a team, working on racecars and everything in between, buying into short track racing only strengthens the quality of the field, and leaves a positive impact on the sport and the people around it. With plans seemingly in the works to run a full-schedule in 2027, don’t be surprised if the Copp Motorsports No. 83 machine is back at the racetrack sometime soon, and here to stay for the long haul.