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| Jimmy Cope Wins 35th Govenor’s Cup | (KNS) On Lap l53 of the 200 lap Governor's race, Wayne Anderson and David Rogers were fighting it out.  Neither had the lead but they both wanted it and the second place position. What happened will remain etched in my mind and the minds of many for quite a while.
Thirty six of Florida's best Super Late Models came for one reason, to see their name on the Golden trophy. That honor is the highest honor in our state for any Super Late Model driver. Wayne Anderson was last year's winner and Billy Bigley was the '98 winner, both in the line-up for this year's winner. Mike Franklin, Jr. had fast time and the pole and we lost one car before qualifying, the #78 of BJ McLeod. McLeod dropped a valve but he was offered an engine so he could race but as gracious and wonderful as that offer was, it could not work so the McLeods became fans just like the other 6,000 people in the stands watching.
The green flag was only out for the first two laps when Bruce Lawrence in the #16 Sun Belt Racing car went around in turn 2. By lap 5 the race was restarted with Mike Franklin, Jr. in the lead, Wayne Anderson second, Dick Anderson third, Billy Bigley fourth and Justin Drawdy fifth. On lap 6, Wayne Anderson put the #84 in front until the second caution of the race came out on lap 15 when three cars turned around in turn 4 with the #178 of John Lovelady getting the worse damage to his front end.
Caution 3 came out on lap 24 when the #27 went around on the backstretch without damage and racing continued on lap 27. Caution 4 came out for the #6 of Mac Johnson when the went around between turns 1 and 2. The track was cleaned and racing restarted on lap 44 with Wayne Anderson in the lead, Dick Anderson, Billy Bigley, Justin Drawdy and Johnny Kay. On lap 47, the #56 of Wendell Overstreet caused the 5th caution when he went into the wall between turns l and 2 and had to retire for the evening. Lap 51 saw the restart with Anderson, Anderson, Bigley, Drawdy, and Kay. On lap 69, Dick Anderson got around Wayne and the lead was his.
Lap 89 saw the #83 go around in turn 4 and the first of halfway pit stops being made. The race restarted on lap 95 with Ricky Carlton, Brian Finney, Dick Anderson, Bruce Lawrence and Mike Franklin, Jr. claiming the top five. Lap 105 brought out caution 7 when the #37 of Billy Bigley went around on the backstretch and had a brief fire that was put out quickly. The race was red flagged for the first time while the track was cleaned.
Lap 111 saw the restart with Dick Anderson, Wayne Anderson, the #44, David Rogers and Jack Cook in the top five. At this point, 24 cars out of the 35 that started the race were left on the track. Lap 128 brought out the 8th caution for the #12 of Justin Drawdy who went around. The race restarted on lap 133 with Dick Anderson, Wayne Anderson, David Rogers, Jimmy Cope and Jack Cook in the top five.
Caution 9 was brought out in lap 135 when the #9 Chevy Monte Carlo of Jonathan Brown went around. Lap 137 saw the race restart until lap 148 when caution l0 came out for the #l9 of Tom Root on went around on the backstretch right before turn 3. The race resumed on lap 146 with Anderson, Anderson, Rogers, Cope and Cook.
While racing for the lead and second place on lap 153, the #11 of David Rogers and the #84 of Wayne Anderson touched with the #84 of Anderson going around. The caution flew for the 11th time and as the cars went around the track on the first lap in the caution and near turn 4, Anderson nailed the gas, aimed straight for Rogers and hit the #ll TM Ranch car and almost taking out the back gate pit man.  Anderson destroyed his car doing this and Rogers took a hurt but not dead race car into the pits for tires and an extra prayer after being punched and yelled at by Anderson. This incident caused much stress and some outbursts but the race was able to continue. When the race restarted on lap 161, the TM Ranch machine was racing.
Caution 12 came out on lap 172 when the #9 of Jonathan Brown took one more trip around in turn 2 but Brown persisted to drive a bad handling racecar to the very end. The race resumed on lap 174 with Jimmy Cope in the lead. One more caution and the race remained green until the end. On lap 185 Jimmy Cope in the #61 was leading the #92 of Dick Anderson, getting the jump on him on the restarts. Ricky Carlton was in third, Mike Franklin was in fourth and Jack Cook in fifth.
When the checkered flag came out on lap 200, it was Cope, Dick Anderson, Carlton, Franklin and Cook and a very banged up Rogers in sixth, Travis Kittleson in seventh and Brian Finney in eight. Seventeen cars out of 35 took the checkered and the 35th Governor's Cup was over for 2000.
Last night at the 35th running of the Governor's Cup at New Smyrna Speedway, my concept and love of this great sport did a severe turnaround. Racing had been a sport where I could see families together, families working hard to race, families helping out the driver any way they could.
Until last night.
by Jane Smith
[Related links:Winning The Governor’s Cup
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