Dover wins mark historic points for three drivers

Dover International Speedway has always been a stern test of man and machine, its high banks a separation of the best from the rest. But sometimes the Monster Mile springs surprises. Just ask Jody Ridley, Derrike Cope and Ken Schrader, all drivers connected by Dover success.

Car owner Junie Donlavey never had the factory backing of the big teams, but for more than four decades -- beginning with the 1950 Martinsville race -- his No. 90 Fords were competitive, even if Victory Lane seemed an unattainable goal.

Ridley was 38 and a veteran of Georgia's short-track circuit when he landed a full-time ride with Donlavey in 1980 and earned NASCAR Cup rookie of the year honors. But it was at Dover the next May that fortune finally smiled on the pair.

Race Results

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Jody Ridley	Ford
2.	Bobby Allison	Buick
3.	Dale Earnhardt	Pontiac
4.	D.K. Ulrich	Buick
5.	Ricky Rudd	Buick

• Complete Results

Ridley had scored seven top-10 finishes -- but hadn't been able to crack the top five -- when the series headed for Dover and the 1981 Mason-Dixon 500. Running a strong third behind Neil Bonnett and Cale Yarborough with less than 50 laps remaining, Ridley never expected what was about to take place.

Bonnett had a two-lap lead on the field and was in cruise control when on Lap 459, everything went horribly wrong. The No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford, which had been so strong all day, suddenly slowed and headed for the garage with a blown engine.

''She just quit," Bonnett said. "I got no warning, I was backing off going into the turn, really taking it easy. I knew yesterday and I knew today, we would win if we went 500 laps.''

That handed the lead to Yarborough, but he lasted just 20 more laps before the engine in his No. 27 Buick expired. And suddenly, it was Ridley -- who had been five laps behind Yarborough at the time -- in the lead, followed by Bobby Allison.

''I knew Neil had come out of the race and I looked up at the scoreboard to see where Cale and Bobby were," Ridley said. "I knew Cale was leading but when I looked at the scoreboard it said I was leading.

''I came around again and I was still leading. We got the breaks and kept on plugging."

Ridley went on to win by 22 seconds over Allison, giving Donlavey his long-awaited victory. But there was major confusion. A breakdown in NASCAR's official scoring left Allison's team wondering if they should have been the ones celebrating.

But the decision stood -- and Ridley's win would be the only one of his 140-race career, although he would eventually win six All-Pro short-track championships.

"My opinion is that they went back and checked it, and if they checked it and they found that we won it, that's the way it was," Ridley said in 2007. "I don't feel like they would give it to us if we didn't. I feel like they did the right thing, whatever it was."

Race Results

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Derrike Cope	Chevrolet
2.	Ken Schrader	Chevrolet
3.	Dick Trickle	Pontiac
4.	Mark Martin	Ford
5.	Sterling Marlin	Oldsmobile

• Complete Results

Unlike Ridley, Cope had won a race before Dover. But many called it a fluke. He was running second in the 1990 Daytona 500 when Dale Earnhardt cut a tire on the last lap, handing certain victory instead to a surprised Cope.

So by the 1990 Budweiser 500, Cope was looking for another win to silence his critics. And two decisions in the pits -- one bad, one good -- played a major role in his run that day.

Starting 15th, Cope worked his way into the lead on Lap 160, but 34 laps later, he ran out of gas during green-flag stops, putting him a lap down.

"We just miscalculated maybe a little bit," Cope said.

But Cope never gave up. He raced his way back on the lead lap, and when Geoff Bodine spun on Lap 421, quick work in the pits by the No. 10 Chevrolet team -- thanks to a 19-second stop -- put him back on the track right behind leader Rusty Wallace.

"That's the difference between winning and losing right there, getting in the pits and getting out," Cope said.

Cope chased down Wallace 24 laps later and held off a hard-charging Schrader for the victory -- setting a track record in the process. Cope's average speed was 123.993 mph, breaking the 1977 record, set by Yarborough.

"From all the things that were said at Daytona, it took a little bit of the sweetness away from it because a lot of people always said that I lucked into it," Cope said. "But I feel like this win here says more to the world of auto racing that this team ... is definitely a team that deserves to have some credibility in this sport. And that's all we're asking for."

Schrader's No. 25 Chevy might have been the fastest car on the track at the end, but he ran out of laps.

"I thought I might have a chance to catch Derrike there at the end, but he was just too strong. He had us covered," Schrader said.

Cope would compete in NASCAR's premier series full time until 1998 -- and part-time through 2006 -- without scoring another victory.

Race Results

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Ken Schrader	Chevrolet
2.	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet
3.	Harry Gant	Chevrolet
4.	Ernie Irvan	Chevrolet
5.	Mark Martin	Ford

• Complete Results

Schrader, who also won rookie of the year honors while driving for Donlavey, would get a measure of revenge the next spring. And he did it by being patient and waiting for the right time.

While Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Harry Gant and Ernie Irvan traded the lead throughout the event, Schrader stayed within striking distance, biding his time.

"I've got a bad habit of wanting to be up front all the time," Schrader said. "I told the guys, 'I'm just going to poke and get to where we're safe.' I'm not saying we were faster all day but there's a lot of times we were running fifth, we didn't have to be fifth."

Ironically, Cope's crash on Lap 404 set up Schrader's run to the front. One lap after the lead-lap cars pitted, Schrader came back in for a splash-and-go stop on Lap 412. The rest of the leaders decided to do the same thing one lap later, handing the lead to the No. 25 Chevrolet.

Earnhardt was able to pass Schrader on the ensuing restart, but seven laps later, Schrader returned the favor -- and pushed the advantage to 1.18 seconds by the checkered flag as the race went caution-free down the stretch.

It was Schrader's fourth career win.

"We were doing all we could to catch Kenny," Earnhardt said. "That's the second straight race he's beaten us. Last week at Charlotte he beat us for second. ... I'm going to have to have a talk with that boy."

Pole-sitter Michael Waltrip went out with engine problems before the midway point of the race, and Bobby Labonte, making his Cup debut, finished 34th of the 35 cars that started when the engine in his family owned Oldsmobile gave out after 88 laps.

Like Ridley and Cope, Schrader's victory in the 1991 Budweiser 500 at Dover was his last to date.