Saturday, July 11th, 6:00 PM ET on FS1 and MRN
Truck: No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 for Roper Racing
Crew chief: Shane Whitbeck
Kentucky 225 Notes of Interest
- Cory Roper and the CarQuest Auto Parts #04 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Team are headed to Kentucky Speedway for the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225. This race will consist of 150 laps/225 miles. When the green flag drops, this will be Roper’s first time around this Kentucky this 1.5 mile tri-oval track! This season is Roper Racing’s 3rd year in the NASCAR truck series season and 22nd start in the truck series.
- Last Race: Last race at Pocono Raceway was with no spectators, no practice, and no qualifying. Roper drew his position based on points and started 24th in the pack. After avoiding a few wrecks, Roper made it up to p19 in stage 1 but had a tire issue which put Roper in the back of the pack starting 30th at stage 2. Roper worked his way up to p18 in stage 3 and ended up finishing 25th overall.
- 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?
“I am excited about this track and the next three races coming up. I am really starting to love these 1.5 mile tracks. I have never been to Kentucky but looking forward to making some laps here. I am going to be starting near the rear of the field but have confidence in my crew, my Ford F-150 truck, and my spotter to be fast truck by the end of the race. We are looking to get our second top ten finish this weekend and our first top ten finish for our sponsor, CarQuest Auto Parts”
Shane Whitbeck, crew chief of the No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150
What are your goals for the race at Atlanta Speedway?
“Kentucky is going to be a hard race for us. This will be our first time as a team that we have been to this track. We watch a lot of past races this week. The good thing is the trucks are not the first race of the weekend so we can see what the track is like. It is going to be a building weekend, taking small steps, and at the end of the race be around the top ten of the pack This is one of Cory’s favorite CarQuest Ford F-150 trucks so we will have a lot of confidence going into this race. I feel like this track is a lot like Texas and we got our best finish there so I am excited for this weekend.”