1990-1995
During the last lap of the 1990 Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt ran over a piece of debris and cut a tire in turn three, causing him to nearly lose control. After narrowly avoiding most of the resulting debris, Cope assumed the lead and earned his first win in NASCAR competition. He became an overnight sensation as a result of the win, appearing on Late Night with David Letterman that week. At Dover later in the 1990 season, Cope rallied for another unlikely win after running out of fuel and falling off the lead lap. At year's end, he wound up 18th in points.
Following the 1992 season, the Whitcomb team closed down, and drove an originally unsponsored #66 Ford for Cale Yarborough. The car was later sponsored by Bojangles, and the number changed to #98, reflecting the restaurant's 98 menu items.
Midway thorough the 1994 season, Cope was replaced by Jeremy Mayfield and began driving for Bobby Allison's #12 Straight Arrow Ford, after a brief stint with car owner T.W. Taylor. During this season, Cope won his first career Busch Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway, driving the #82 Ford Thunderbird for Ron Zock. The 1995 season was Cope's most consistent. He chalked up eight top-10 finishes, and garnered a 15th-place finish in points.
Read more about this topic: Derrike Cope