The Auto Racing Journal: Danica Patrick

DERRIKE COPE HAD JUST WON THE DAYTONA 500 the week before I started writing about NASCAR for what was then called the Charleston News and Courier (it later became the Post and Courier).

Dale Earnhardt was about to get his first Daytona 500 win in February of 1990, but he ran over debris from Rick Wilson's car and busted a tire on the last lap and finished the race in turn three. Cope grabbed an unlikely victory in Bob Whitcomb's No. 10 Chevrolet.

And that's what we're talking about here, No. 10 Cup cars.

Cope won another Cup race, that one at Dover, but he's not the most successful driver who raced a 10 car. That would be Ricky Rudd, who posted six wins and 31 top-five finishes in the 10.

Aric Almirola, Johnny Benson Jr. and Greg Sacks posted one win each in 10 cars. Almirola is the current 10 driver, and Bill Champion had the most starts (243) in the 10.

With all due respect to Rudd, the most famous recent 10 driver might be Danica Patrick, who posted no wins, no top-fives and seven top-10s in the 10. She made 190 starts from 2012 to 2017.

All-time greats like Cale Yarborough, Bill Elliott, Rex White, Terry Labonte, Bobby Labonte, Buddy Baker and Tiny Lund raced No. 10 cars.

Related posts
On the Mark (with Mark Martin)
The 1 was not a lonely number in Cup racing
The 2 has been a winning car Number in NASCAR

Earnhardt made the 3 an intimidating number
The 4 was a good number in the Daytona 500
Terry Labonte was the winniingest driver in the 5 car
MARK MARTIN was a BIG-TIME driver in the 6 CARS
Alan Kulwicki was a CHAMPION in the No. 7 Fords
DALE EARNHARDT JR. was one of the big winners in the 8 car

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com TWITTER: EDITORatWORK

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Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

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Dale's quotes

"I woke up this morning, and I still don't believe I won the Daytona 500."

The Auto Racing Journal

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Links to NASCAR HISTORY

Monday, May 31, 2021

Links to WOMEN IN RACING

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Derrike Cope was a Daytona 500 winner in the 10

Dale's quotes

Racing sites

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