Truck: No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 for Roper Racing
Crew chief: Shane Whitbeck
Atlanta 200 Notes of Interest
- Cory Roper and the CarQuest Auto Parts #04 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Team are headed to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Vet Tix Camping World 200 from their headquarters in South Texas. This season is Roper Racing’s 3rd year in the NASCAR truck series season and 20th start in the truck series.
- Last Race: Last race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was with no spectators, no practice, and no qualifying. Roper drew his position based on points and started 23rd in the pack. There were some promising moments during the race when Roper ran as high as 11th in the final stage but with 26 laps remaining the truck lost fuel pressure causing Roper to slip back to finish 32nd for the night.
- The Driver: Roper is no stranger to racing. He grew up watching his dad, Kenny Roper, compete. At the age of 14, Roper got his first racecar and started competing on a local and regional level at short tracks in Texas and Oklahoma, where he was Points and Track Champion. The Vernon, Texas, native now resides in Mont Belvieu, Texas with his wife, Cherie and daughters Megan and Britney.
- The Crew Chief: NASCAR veteran Shane Whitbeck serves as crew chief for the No. 04 Preferred Industrial Contractors, Inc. Ford F-150. The Sarasota, Florida, native previously worked at Brad Keselowski Racing for 10 years. Whitbeck relocated to Texas at the end of 2018 season as a full-time Crew Chief for Roper Racing.
- The Trucks: At the conclusion of the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Roper Racing purchased several Ford F-150s and a number of additional assets from the Brad Keselowski Racing stable to build Roper Racing Team.
- About CarQuest Auto Parts: Advance Auto Parts’ Carquest brand will be a primary sponsor within the Roper Racing organization. Additionally, Advance’s TechNet Professional Automotive Service and Advance Professional brands will be associate sponsors for RRT in 2020. TechNet is a group of elite, locally-owned, and professionally operated shops with the benefits of a nationwide network, while Advance Professional is a leading aftermarket supplier that provides professional-quality parts, service, and solutions dedicated to professional shops.
Cory Roper, driver of the No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150
What are your goals for the race?
“We had a great truck in Charlotte but we had a little bad luck with the fuel system. This week in Atlanta I am hoping to pick up where we left off with the speed and put this CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 in the top 10 where it belongs and have a great finish. Thank you to the people at CarQuest for giving us the opportunity to advance in the NASCAR Truck Series! Also, I want to thank my crew chief, Shane Whitbeck, and the crew. They have done a great job building these fast trucks and I can’t wait to get back in it this weekend in Atlanta!”
Shane Whitbeck, crew chief of the No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150
What are your goals for the race at Atlanta Speedway?
“Charlotte was a bittersweet experience. Cory did a really good job preparing himself for the weekend and it showed. Everybody at Roper Racing put together a really great CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150. We are so glad Altanta in the next race weekend for us because I can’t wait to get back to the track. We will be going to Altanta with the same CarQuest truck and I feel we have found and isolated the problem we had at Charlotte and fixed it. The first half of the race we are going to work on the truck and get it ready for the end to be able to fight for a top 10 position.”