Derrike Cope and Eel River Racing agreed Wednesday to discontinue their relationship, leaving the team temporarily without a driver for its #30 Pontiacs for Bristol and beyond( That’s Racin’ ) but I am hearing Mike Bliss may move up to a Cup ride on 2000 and this would be a logical choice since he worked with Barry Dodson in the CTS and BGN series — UPDATE: doubtful Bliss would race this weekend as he is running the CTS race in Topeka with the #99 Exide Ford Truck team — UPDATE 2: CTS series driver Mike Bliss is the leading candidate to take over the driving duties with the #30 Pontiacs of Eel River Racing, according to team sources. The move may not become full-time until the 2000 season, but Bliss would likely run some events before the conclusion of the 1999 season, sources said. Eel River Racing owner Jack Birmingham parted ways with former driver Derrike Cope last week and had Todd Bodine fill in on a one-race basis for Saturday night’s Goody’s 500(That’s Racin’) — UPDATE 3: Mike Bliss is the odds-on favorite to be the driver of the #30 Eel Racing Pontiac next year. When Jack Birmingham bought the team from Chuck Rider, one of his first moves was to hire Barry Dodson to run the operation. In the Craftsman Truck Series, Dodson worked with Bliss for three years, and Bliss is Dodson’s choice for the Cup operation. The team is expected to change its car number from 30 to 27 in deference to the number used by Rusty Wallace when he won the 1989 Winston Cup championship with Dodson as crew chief( SpeedNet/Monte Dutton )
