Winning the Daytona 500 doesn't just take a fast car, it takes a significant stroke of luck as well. Just ask Derrike Cope, who inherited the 1990 win when Dale Earnhardt shredded a tire after leading 155 of 200 laps. Or Michael Waltrip, who won his second Daytona 500 in 2003 when the race was called due to rain after 109 of the scheduled 200 laps. Even Trevor Bayne got some help last year when David Ragan jumped a late-race restart, was black-flagged for changing lanes on a restart, and fell to 14.Restrictor-plate races in general, and the Daytona 500 in particular, often provide opportunities for lesser-known drivers to crawl out of the woodwork and assert themselves, if only for a weekend. For drivers like Cope, Sterling Marlin, and Bayn...

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Winning the Daytona 500 doesn't just take a fast car, it takes a significant stroke of luck as well. Just ask Derrike Cope, who inherited the 1990 win when Dale Earnhardt shredded a tire after leading 155 of 200 laps. Or Michael Waltrip, who won his second Daytona 500 in 2003 when the race was called due to rain after 109 of the scheduled 200 laps. Even Trevor Bayne got some help last year when David Ragan jumped a late-race restart, was black-flagged for changing lanes on a restart, and fell to 14.Restrictor-plate races in general, and the Daytona 500 in particular, often provide opportunities for lesser-known drivers to crawl out of the woodwork and assert themselves, if only for a weekend. For drivers like Cope, Sterling Marlin, and Bayn...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - Motorsports
Article is property of BleacherReport.com