Meet the team
Driver: Leland Honeyman Jr.
Honeyman began racing at four years old with off-road trophy karts, winning three championships. By age seven, Honeyman won five championships racing go-karts. He then switched into Bandoleros at 10 years old and was soon crowned the 2017 National Champion along with four track and state championships.
Honeyman proceeded to race legend cars and received runner-up in the winter series championship. Since 2018, Honeyman has raced pro late models, super late models, limited late models, and late model stocks. In 2021, he received runner-up at the Carolina Pro Late Model Championship scoring three poles and multiple top-five finishes. In the ARCA Menards Series East the following year, he earned one pole and three top-fives in just eight races. Since, Honeyman has made starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and started racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
- Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
- Favorite hobbies: surfing and golfing
- Favorite movie: Fast & Furious
Driver: Thomas Annunziata
Annunziata started racing go-karts at 10 years old and was quickly winning local championships soon after. By 2021, he had moved to the senior class in karting and was ranked as one of the top nine karting racers in the world and was invited to the most prestigious karting events. Annunziata competed the Spec MX5 Challenge and at the MX5 Cup Shootout in the IMSA Series where he was awarded the $75,000 scholarship!
In 2022, Annunziata finished 3rd in the TA2 presented by Pirelli Series at Circuit of the Americas in the largest field that racing had ever seen (and this was only his second race)! By 2023, he was the only rookie to grab both a pole position and win the race in TA2. The following year he was the recipient of the Young Guns Champion award. During the 2024 season, he finished second at Daytona in his first ever NASCAR ARCA Menards Series and went on to make his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Sonoma Raceway.
- Hometown: Colts Neck, New Jersey
- Favorite hobbies: riding dirt bikes and working out
- Fun fact: Annunziata shares a birthday with President Trump
General manager: Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope is a former professional racecar driver best known for his victory at the 1990 Daytona 500, one of NASCAR's most prestigious races. After retiring from driving, Cope went on to manage and coach several NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series teams.
"After some time away from the sport, the creation of Cope Family Racing begins another chapter for us in NASCAR,” said Cope. “To have the opportunity for such a high caliber effort to present in 2025 feels amazing! Elyshia and I are excited to be working alongside Nick and Johanna and look forward to having two young talented drivers, Leland Honeyman Jr. and Thomas Annunziata, showcase their potential in the highly competitive Xfinity Series. We are reunited with Bob Fisher at ECR for our engine program and will utilize RCR race cars for our return to the Xfinity Series."