Angela Ruch

Angela Christine Ruch, born August 18, 1983, in Puyallup, Washington, began her racing career at nine years old, competing in go-karts alongside her twin sister, Amber Cope. The sisters quickly amassed 50 wins and 20 pole positions in the Pacific Northwest, with Angela setting new track records at five of six regional tracks. At 15, she advanced to late model racing, leading to an appearance on The Early Show in 2000. To further their professional careers, the sisters relocated to the Charlotte metropolitan area, immersing themselves in the NASCAR environment by traveling with their uncle, Derrike Cope, to his Cup races.

Ruch transitioned into professional stock car racing, participating in the ARCA Re/Max Series. In 2006, she made starts in the No. 1 car for Andy Belmont and the No. 72 for Mario Gosselin. She returned to ARCA in 2008 at Kentucky Speedway, qualifying eighth and finishing 29th. Her NASCAR Xfinity Series career began in 2011, where she competed in four races, including a 28th place finish at the Iowa John Deere Dealers 250. In 2012, she shared the No. 24 SR2 Motorsports Toyota with her sister and Benny Gordon on a part-time basis. After marrying, she returned to the Xfinity Series in 2017 with B. J. McLeod Motorsports, driving the No. 78 Chevrolet, with a best finish of 30th at Kentucky Speedway.

In 2019, Ruch made a significant return to the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series with NEMCO Motorsports, achieving a career-best eighth-place finish at Daytona, marking her first lead-lap finish and the second-highest ever for a female in the Truck Series. Later that year, she signed with Niece Motorsports to compete in 12 Truck Series events. The 2020 season saw Ruch commit to a full-time schedule in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, driving the No. 00 Chevrolet/Toyota for Reaume Brothers Racing in an alliance with Niece Motorsports, supported by new sponsors DWF Flooring and Cabinets and COREtec. This full-time commitment was a notable career milestone.