Don't look now, but another Cope may be making her way up the auto racing ladder.

Angela Cope, the 24-year-old niece of 1990 Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope, recently made a little history of her own, securing overall victory after competing in the popular SPEED mini-series Forza Motorsport Showdown, a program based on Xbox 360's new Forza Motorsport 2 video game.

The show, shot at Atlanta Dragway and Road Atlanta last October, rigored six drivers through five different driving disciplines - drag racing, auto cross, road racing, drifting and short-track racing - for a $100,000 grand prize. Nearly four million total viewers tuned into the four-part mini series.

As the Mooresville, N.C. resident's racing lineage would suggest, her experience driving on anything other than an oval was limited. In fact, Cope will be competing in the ARCA Series and selected NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series short track and speedway events throughout the 2007 season. But when she came across the finish line in first place, driving her familiar white 2007 Ford Mustang GT at the challenging Road Atlanta, it might have been the first time in her career she realized the level of overall driving talent she actually possesses.

The following is a Question & Answer session with Cope, winner of Forza Motorsport Showdown on SPEED.

SPEED: What did this victory mean for you?

Cope: It was probably the most exciting thing I have ever accomplished. When you go on a reality show, you really don't know what to expect, and I never really thought I actually had a shot at winning the $100,000. I went there just for the experience and to learn some things, but I came out on top. It's the greatest feeling - it really is. I went up against five other drivers and did pretty well.

SPEED: Talk about the level of competition you faced. It was a pretty tough group of competitors from many different disciplines.

Cope: Everybody was really experienced in their own racing discipline. Ken Gushi for instance, he's known to everyone as a professional drifter. Everyone was doing their own thing, and they came from different backgrounds. It was a really exciting experience for me to be able to compete in so many different challenges. We didn't do the best in all of them, but we did pretty well, and certainly weren't the worst in any of them. To go out there, not have any experience on any of the courses, but still do reasonably well with them was really exciting for me.

SPEED: What surprised you about the competition? What were you able to do, that you were surprised that you had the ability to do?

Cope: I really thought I was going to struggle more on the road course. When we're running in the ARCA Series, we're usually in fourth gear and not really worried about changing gears. Now, I did have a little bit of experience doing it, but not a lot. I thought that was going to be the toughest one, but we ended up doing pretty well.

SPEED: What did you take away from the experience personally?

Cope: At the end of the day, I made a lot of really good friendships with a lot of really good people. I still talk to almost everyone involved in the show. Being on the show and being together for two straight weeks, it almost becomes like a family.

SPEED: Have people recognized you since the show aired?

Cope: It's been funny because people have recognized me since being on the show - and they are kind of in shock to meet me. It's exciting because I've never had that. It's fun. You kind of just sit back and laugh. I love it, but anyone would love that feeling.

SPEED: What were you thinking when you first knew you had a chance to win it all?

Cope: It was kind of funny because I was on the radio with the guys, we were in turn seven and I saw Clarence (Barnes). Of course, none of the crew guys could see because they were in the pits. I knew we were going to catch him. At that time, I knew the crew was going to be amazed and astonished to see me coming down and around that last corner for the win. I don't know how I did it, but it means we had a great team and a good car. We did run into a little bit of controversy on that first lap with Ken (Gushi). We stumbled a little bit, but we kept going and we were there for the end.

SPEED: Talk about your future and what you are working on professionally.

Cope: Both (sister) Amber and I are getting ready to sign contracts with an entertainment company. Things are coming along well. Amber and I both will be running the balance of the ARCA season this year. We're not sure when that first race will be, maybe Kansas Speedway, but we're going to be running the rest of the year in the ARCA Series for both of us. We also have a couple of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races lined up as well.

SPEED is the nation's first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 75 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services.