1990 Daytona 500 win💧ner Derrike Cope has lost his NASCAR Nextel Cup ride with the No.50 Arnold Motorsports team and will be replaced by Mike Wallace for this weekend's MBNA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Despite only sitting 36th in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup 𝔍Standings, noted journeyman Cope has done a solid job through the first 12 events of the season and qualified an outstanding fifth for the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington.

However in 12 starts the yello🦄w No.50 Dodge has finishe🌞d no higher than 25th (also at Darlington) and has nine finishes of 30th or worse and after a 34th place effort in last Sunday's Coca Cola 600, team owner Don Arnold gave Cope his marching orders.

"Certainly I'm not pleased," Cope told Florida based newspaper the Naples Daily News () "This wasn't something I anticipated. There are no hard fee🉐lings. Some things h🐎appen for a reason."

Wallace, whose last NASCAR Cup start came in last November's Checker Auto Parts 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway with James Finch's No.09 Phoenix ཧRacing team, will run an undisclosed number of races in the No.50 with backing from his current Busch Series sponsors Geico.

Road course expert PJ Jones will also come on board for two of the three races that follow this🌟 weekend's event at 'The Monster Mile' and will pilot the No꧑.50 Dodge at Pocono and Sears Point. No decision has been made as to the driver for the event at Michigan on June 20th.

Cope becomes the second official Arnold Motorsports driving casualty after the team released Billy Bigley Jr less than half a season aftꦺer entering NASCAR's highest division in August 2003.

Don Arnold is currently 🔜37th♎ in the Nextel Cup Owner Standings.