[vincesanity82]

Who's your pick?

[Phils20]

The worst one to win a race to me is Derrick Cope.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by Phils20

The worst one to win a race to me is Derrick Cope.

I was scratching my head, rattling around in the cobwebs looking for a name .. then I saw your post, Phils. all I can say is:

EXACTLY! What a loser. By dumb luck he won the Daytona 500. All he does now is start a race and park it so he can collect prize money. He's not interested in racing, just the money. And when he tries his hand at announcing, he's only mediocre.

[disco stu]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

And when he tries his hand at announcing, he's only mediocre.

...so he's definitely better at announcing than driving then!!!

[Nevadastars]

Buckshot Jones, that guy hit everything but the snackbar.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Phils20

The worst one to win a race to me is Derrick Cope.

I respectfully disagree, Phil.

Reason: Derrick was no all star but he did win two races in equipment which wasn't up to the same level as some of the bigger names of the time. (Dale, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison, DW, etc., etc.) And it is true that his first win, at Daytona, was a fluke, getting it when Big Dale lost a tire on the last lap (or was it the race he hit the sea gull?)
However, if you look at history, his second win, at Dover I think it was, was a good, solid win.
As far as being a "Start&Park" driver... he's got lots and lots of company there, Joe Ruttman, Morgan Shepard, D.K. Ulrich, to name three. Even Buddy Baker did it once (In a car without a motor, no less!!??)
I don't recall Cope being in a whole lot of wrecks. As I remember it, most of the wrecks he was in, when he drove for Whitcomb, were when he tried to get a sub par car to go beyond it's limits.

My vote, and I'd be interested to see if anyone else will agree with me, is, hands down, Rick Wilson, from Bartow, FL.

Wilson spent two or three years tearing up Morgan-McClure's Kodak #4 Olds. He was really tough on equipment. Butch Mock got him for a year, as I remember but let him go part way thru the season. Petty put him in the #44 when Richard retired because Wilson could be had cheap. After that year he got only one-up rides only, as I recall.

Another really marginal driver was one everyone liked and rooted for, the CW singer, Marty Robbins. He had his own team, financed thru his singing career. He really wanted to be a driver in the worst way but never could devote the time needed. Marty was kind of NASCAR's Walter Mitty.

[JBurtonFanInMayberry]

Chad Little

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by JBurtonFanInMayberry

Chad Little

Chad was a lawyer (passed the Washington State BAR). What would you expect?

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Chad was a lawyer (passed the Washington State BAR). What would you expect?

You'd figure a lawyer would find a way to slither around the track better

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

I respectfully disagree, Phil.

Reason: Derrick was no all star but he did win two races in equipment which wasn't up to the same level as some of the bigger names of the time. (Dale, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison, DW, etc., etc.) And it is true that his first win, at Daytona, was a fluke, getting it when Big Dale lost a tire on the last lap (or was it the race he hit the sea gull?)
However, if you look at history, his second win, at Dover I think it was, was a good, solid win.
As far as being a "Start&Park" driver... he's got lots and lots of company there, Joe Ruttman, Morgan Shepard, D.K. Ulrich, to name three. Even Buddy Baker did it once (In a car without a motor, no less!!??)
I don't recall Cope being in a whole lot of wrecks. As I remember it, most of the wrecks he was in, when he drove for Whitcomb, were when he tried to get a sub par car to go beyond it's limits.

My vote, and I'd be interested to see if anyone else will agree with me, is, hands down, Rick Wilson, from Bartow, FL.

Wilson spent two or three years tearing up Morgan-McClure's Kodak #4 Olds. He was really tough on equipment. Butch Mock got him for a year, as I remember but let him go part way thru the season. Petty put him in the #44 when Richard retired because Wilson could be had cheap. After that year he got only one-up rides only, as I recall.

Another really marginal driver was one everyone liked and rooted for, the CW singer, Marty Robbins. He had his own team, financed thru his singing career. He really wanted to be a driver in the worst way but never could devote the time needed. Marty was kind of NASCAR's Walter Mitty.

His second win was at Dover. He was just the first one that popped into my head at almost 1 am! Both those wins were in 1990, if I recall. Not much from him after that!

But I'm sure there were much worse than him. You gave some great examples. Funny you should mention Rick Wilson. They were showing the Michigan race from 1993 today, and I saw him in that race! It seemed strange to see that rookie strip on Gordons car. But it was great to the the Black and Gold MGD car!

Seems like so long ago...

For many reasons. I really had fun watching that race. But not because Rick Wilson was in it!