Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 4, 1990 TAG: 9006040294
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: FRANK VEHORN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: DOVER, DEL. LENGTH: Medium
Cope led the final 55 miles of the Budweiser 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway for his second victory in his first full season on the circuit.
But unlike his Daytona 500 victory in February, Cope didn't have to share credit with Lady Luck.
A 31-year-old from Spanaway, Wash., Cope was virtually unknown on the tour when he capitalized on Dale Earnhardt's last-lap cut tire to win at Daytona.
Although that victory was considerably richer and more prestigious, Cope admitted the one Sunday was more meaningful.
"All the things said at Daytona took away some of the sweetness from that win," Cope said. "People were saying I lucked into it, and not giving my team enough credit for being in position when Dale had his bad luck.
"This victory says more to the world of auto racing that my team deserves to have some credibility in this sport, and that is all we are asking for."
Earnhardt encountered misfortune again Sunday, but this time it was early. His Chevrolet had engine problems, finished 31st and cost him the lead in the Winston Cup championship standings to Morgan Shepherd.
Cope drove under Rusty Wallace to take the lead following a final caution period and smoothly held off a late challenge by Ken Schrader to clinch the victory.
Schrader finished second, followed by Dick Trickle, Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin and Shepherd.
"This is how you picture in your mind in a dream about growing up to be a Winston Cup driver," Cope said. "It comes down to the last 100 or 50 miles and you got to run down a big name guy, like Rusty, who is the champion. And that's how it was fitting. It was just exactly what I wanted. I wanted to beat Rusty, or somebody like that, then you had proved you had run down the best."
Wallace, bidding for his second consecutive victory, had led a string of 80 laps around the 1-mile oval until Cope took charge.
"I really thought I was going to win another one, but it didn't work out," Wallace said. "Cope did a great job, but where did he come from, anyway?"
Cope, who had run out of fuel earlier in the event, shot back into contention with a super-fast pit stop during the last caution period.
His crew, led by Buddy Parrott, changed four tires and refueled his Chevrolet Lumina so quickly that other teams thought they had changed only two tires.
"I could not believe that stop, either" Cope said. "It was so quick [less than 20 seconds] that I didn't have a chance to get a drink of water. It got me back to the front of the field, behind Rusty."
Cope followed Wallace for about 20 laps after the green-flag restart before easily taking the lead.
"It seemed that Rusty moved over in the second turn and I got by him," Cope recalled. "I thought he was just trying to save his tires and would come back at me again."
Cope averaged a race-record 123.993 mph and won $55,050.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB