The Five Biggest Upsets In Recent NASCAR History

Derrike Cope, 1990 Daytona 500

Before his famous victory in 1998, Dale Earnhardt Sr. kept finding creative and new ways to lose the Daytona 500. He ran out of fuel, had lug nuts fall off his tires, and hat pit stops take too long. However, nothing was more heartbreaking than his loss in 1990.

Earnhardt led unheralded racer Derrike Cope heading into the final lap. Cope, starting his first full season of racing, was trying to hang on to 2nd place on old tires while the Intimidator pulled away. Earnhardt held the lead going into the final turn when disaster struck; he ran over a piece of an engine and blew a front tire. He immediately checked up and slid to the top of the track, letting Cope slide by on the inside. The young driver held off Terry Labonte to win NASCAR’s biggest race. Driving a backup car for an  underfunded team, Cope pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history.

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