Who was the worst driver to win a Cup race

kkfan91

kkfan91

52 tracks and counting
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
25,105
Points
1,033
Location
PA
We have best driver who never won so how about worst to ever win?

I'm going to go with Michael Waltrip.
 
Wow, good thread. I'll have to think long on this one. Lots of one-hit wonders.
 
How many decades have Michael Waltrip, Derrike Cope and Elliott Sadler been around with marginal success? I mean, I hate the thread title because I couldn't say anyone is the worst. Trevor Bayne's Daytona 500 win was probably the flukiest thing I ever saw, well that and Chris Buescher's win at Pocono, but Buscher's an underrated driver with an underfunded team who deserved a moment.
 
My bad, a cup race.

Cope is probably number one on the list.

Casey Mears? I like Casey, but he was not that good with Ganassi or Hendrick or RCR.
 
Last edited:
AndyMarquisLive said:
How many decades have Michael Waltrip, Derrike Cope and Elliott Sadler been around with marginal success? I mean, I hate the thread title because I couldn't say anyone is the worst. Trevor Bayne's Daytona 500 win was probably the flukiest thing I ever saw, well that and Chris Buescher's win at Pocono, but Buscher's an underrated driver with an underfunded team who deserved a moment.
Click to expand...

Sadler was not that bad IMHO.

His time at Yates was much better than the Wood Brothers. He was much more consistent at Yates. Evernham he was horrid.
 
I think the one hit wonder award would go to Casey Mears.
Races - 489 Top 10's - 51 Wins - 1
 
Menard!


Tony Stewart said,

"You can have your father buy your ride and write DEI a big check, but you can't buy talent. And that's what John Menard's been good at his whole life, is just buying success. He's bought his son a Nextel Cup ride and he's got just enough talent to be in the way most of the time."
 
Kiante said:
My bad, a cup race.

Cope is probably number one on the list.

Casey Mears? I like Casey, but he was not that good with Ganassi or Hendrick or RCR.
Click to expand...

Cope has done absolutely nothing in the last 20 years, but did win a Daytona 500 back when superspeedway wins weren't quite as fluky, and won later in the same year at Dover. I would say that the 2nd win proved he wasn't too awful of a driver. It's not very easy to luck into two Cup wins.
 
And one thing's for sure, that Purolator car looked awesome

Derrike-Cope-Daytona-500-winner-1990.jpg
 
Waltrip won 4 cup races and the all star race. You don't fluke into multiple wins. For me it's either Paul Menard or Brett bodine. Menards one win was a pure fluke and he's never led the most laps in a race or come remotely close to winning again. Same for Brett bodine and if I remember correctly Darrel waltrip should've won that race
 
I'd like to say Michael Waltrip because he's massive douche but for as many years as Menard has been around on a good team and his only win was a fuel mileage race at Indy. Strangely I was there to see it but I've missed all 29 of Kurt's wins.
 
I'd have to agree with Robby, and his talent has nothing to do with my decision.
 
bustedknee said:
Menard!


Tony Stewart said,

"You can have your father buy your ride and write DEI a big check, but you can't buy talent. And that's what John Menard's been good at his whole life, is just buying success. He's bought his son a Nextel Cup ride and he's got just enough talent to be in the way most of the time."
Click to expand...
wouldn't you do that for your child?
 
Probably Menard, really. Even to his credit he's been a decent Xfinity Series driver and can produce a 5-8 top 10's a season.
 
ToyYoda said:
Greg Sacks
Click to expand...

The one thing about Greg Sacks is he won that race despite having to utilize a thrown together pit crew. Their times were literally 15-20 seconds slower that everyone else. I watched a replay of the '85 Firecracker 400 over the winter and was amazed Sacks was able to win that race.

Bobby Hillin is another guy who did virtually nothing outside of one win at Talladega in '86. His last cup race came when he was only 36 years old....
 
Last edited:
2 Sweet said:
Cope has done absolutely nothing in the last 20 years, but did win a Daytona 500 back when superspeedway wins weren't quite as fluky, and won later in the same year at Dover. I would say that the 2nd win proved he wasn't too awful of a driver. It's not very easy to luck into two Cup wins.
Click to expand...
I agree. His second win showed he belonged.
 
KodiakRusty89 said:
The one thing about Greg Sacks is he won that race despite having to utilize a thrown together pit crew. Their times were literally 15-20 seconds slower that everyone else. I watched a replay of the '85 Firecracker 400 over the winter and was amazed Sacks was able to win that race.

Bobby Hillin is another guy who did virtually nothing outside of one win at Talladega in '86. His last cup race came when he was only 36 years old....
Click to expand...

The Sacks win was in a Gary Nelson car, almost guaranteed to have been an absolute one off cheater car.
 
Derrike Cope. Back in the day I knew a pit crew guy for Ryan Newman and I asked him this same question. He said that pretty much everyone in the garage agrees that Cope is a total hack. He's apparently hit a few people with his car in the garage area over the years, so that alone should tell you something about his talent level.
 
Derrike Cope was my first choice but I wasn't aware he had won a second race so now I don't know.
 
^ In the same 29 race season during which he crashed out at Bristol and Richmond and suffered 8 race-ending mechanical failures.

What a bum.
 
Robby Gordon. Dude has done some dirty moves in my book which were slightly under the radar and killed a guys chance to win. Someone should review the 2003 brickyard 400, that almost has gone unnoticed what Robby did... he side swiped Jamie mcmurray to hurt his car and allow harvick to go ahead and win that one... low class.
 
JohnHill said:
Robby Gordon. Dude has done some dirty moves in my book which were slightly under the radar and killed a guys chance to win. Someone should review the 2003 brickyard 400, that almost has gone unnoticed what Robby did... he side swiped Jamie mcmurray to hurt his car and allow harvick to go ahead and win that one... low class.
Click to expand...
Was Robby a dirty driver? Absolutely. Was Robby a talented driver? Absolutely. Is Robby the worst driver to have won a Cup race? Absolutely not. He would have been a perennial top-10 championship standings driver with the right team in my opinion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom