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1999 Derrike Cope’s Nightmare Pontiac Season

Posted on by Pontiac Racing

08/06/2023 – 1990 Daytona 500 Champion Derrike Cope had a truly nightmarish season in 1999 when he and Pontiac owner Chuck Rider lined up a rotating group of four sponsors through parent company Consolidated Foods to adorn their sharp looking 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix’s. As the graphic shows, the sponsors were committed and hopes were high before the season started. Following an acceptable 18th place finish at the 1999 Daytona 500, the misery and misfortune began.

Cope DNQ’d for Race #2 at Rockingham, which meant the Rudy’s Farm Pontiac never took a green flag. The next 21 races were a combination of DNQ’s (10 races) and an average finish of 35th (not including the Daytona 500) for the other 11 races. Cope was released by Rider following Cope only qualifying for race 20 of races 17-through-22. Overall, Cope managed to get Jimmy Dean in eight races, State Fair in two, and Bryan Foods one; the DNQ menu was Jimmy Dean missing seven races, Bryan Foods two, Rudy’s Farm one, and State Fair one.

Pontiac in Cup, 1951 – Race 23

Posted on by Pontiac Racing

09/14/2017 – Following the memorable Motor City 250, Pontiacs sat out Races 21 and 22, then re-emerged for Race 23 courtesy of Pontiac hero Erick Erickson when the Grand National circuit made its only visit to the .5-mile paved short track of Air Base Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina on August 25, 1951.

With only 15 entrants recorded in the racing history books, observers believe that many drivers/teams were preparing for the Southern 500, leaving mostly heavy hitters who were intent at participating in as many races as possible.

Erickson – once again – had an excellent race in his Tin Indian as he finished an astounding 5th in his Packer-sponsored 1951 Pontiac, finishing ahead of GN stalwarts like Lee Petty and Curtis Turner.

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Pontiac’s NASCAR Win in Australia

Posted on by Pontiac Racing

07/11/2017 – The Goodyear 500, held at the Calder Thunderdome in Melbourne, Australia, on February 28, 1988, was the first NASCAR Cup-sanctioned event held outside of North America.

The entire, sad, money vaporizing saga of the Thunderdome and the collateral forces at work (including the historic Goodyear 500) is well told here –

https://www.facebook.com/HondaVWcompositesguru/posts/1788165621425317

Neil Bonnett, who had won the previous Cup event at Richmond, won the pole and the race in an older model Grand Prix 2+2 (for 1988 the Pontiac Cup teams had switched over to the new GM10/W-body bodystyle) brought over by RahMoc Enterprises.  Ironically, it would be the only Cup-sanctioned win for the 2+2 on a superspeedway, for which it had been intially designed.

BonnettAustralia