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The underdogs Sponsorless teams try to defy odds at Daytona
Posted: Wednesday February 16, 2000 07:04 PM
By Ryan Smithson, CNNSI.com DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Derrike Cope is an excellent golfer. He probably could have turned pro if he hadn't decided to become a NASCAR Winston Cup driver. Cope's career highlight came in the 1990 Daytona 500, when he took advantage of Dale Earnhardt's flat tire to claim one of his two career Winston Cup wins. Cope doesn't get into the Daytona 500 field just because he is a former champion. This isn't The Masters or the PGA Championship. In fact, getting his unsponsored Ford into this year's Daytona field will be one of the biggest challenges of his career. "Hopefully, I have seen enough and experienced enough to prepare myself," Cope said. "I have come here with sponsorship most of the time, but when I did I had a lot obligations [with sponsors], and now I don't." Cope has an excellent shot at getting into the field. He will start 18th in the second Twin 125-miler on Thursday. A finish of 14th or better will ensure a spot for Sunday. Another owner that showed up at Daytona without a fancy hauler was Joe Falk, whose team will have to work a lot harder for a spot than Cope. Starting 26th, driver Andy Hillenburg needs to finish 14th or better to earn a spot. Falk is probably the proudest of all the "underdog" owners. Falk, who owns a chain of auto dealerships in Virginia, has run the last two Winston Cup seasons without a sponsor. "The biggest misconception is how much things cost," Falk said. "To come down here and do this is a quarter of a million dollars. Heck, our tire bill from qualifying was $11,000." Money is a major motivation for the underdogs. If the car makes the field and finishes last, then the payday still will reach low six figures. If the car does well, a sponsor is obviously much more likely to throw money their way. For instance, Randy LaJoie won the Busch event at Daytona in 1999 without a sponsor. The next week, LaJoie's team signed a national restaurant chain to foot the bill for the season. Longtime Winston Cup owner-driver Dave Marcis has a sponsor, but he knows all about running a team on a limited budget. He has started 32 straight Daytona 500s, tying him with Richard Petty. Marcis will start 22nd in the second Twin 125-miler. Marcis' motto is: "We can do anything with nothing." "There is a lot of pressure for us, because the only way to get into the Daytona 500 is finish in the top 14," Marcis said. "I only have nine employees, and I have some volunteers that help me here every year. My employees are a great bunch of hard-working guys." By comparison, Hendrick Motorsports has over 200 employees (including a dozen engineers) for its three-car operation. Junie Donlavey has been fielding Winston Cup cars since 1950 out of his shop in Richmond, Va. The owner of the No. 90 Ford secured a sponsor for the Daytona 500 but still needs someone to pick up the tab for the rest of the year. "We have been down here enough that we are pretty knowledgeable on what we are doing," said Donlavey. "We will have about eight volunteers. We get most of them from back home, but we have a couple coming from Carolina." Donlavey has a rookie driver, Ed Berrier, who will start 19th in the second Twin 125-miler. Even though Donlavey would benefit from a great run, he has prepared to take things as they come. "Ed seems to be doing pretty good," Donlavey said. "He is working traffic really good. Luck plays a major factor; we have to be at the right place at the right time."
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