May 26th, 2020 8:00pm ET on FS1 and MRN
Truck: No. 04 CarQuest Ford F-150 for Roper Racing
Crew chief: Shane Whitbeck
Charlotte Motor Speedway Notes of Interest
- Team owner and Driver, Cory Roper, and the #04 CarQuest Auto Parts Truck Team will be traveling 1,013 miles this week from Texas to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the NC Education Lottery 200 truck race. Roper Racing Team has been preparing for this race since the team’s last race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. An interesting note for the 2020 race season is that Roper qualified 19th at Daytona, 19th at Las Vegas, and this is his 19th start in the truck series.
- The Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile track located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is known as “America’s Home for Racing”.
- Last Race: Luck wasn’t in the cards for Roper’s last race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Although this is one of Roper’s favorite NASCAR tracks, he finished 26th after engine failure during practice and losing power during the race.
- The Team: Roper Racing headquarters are located on the outskirts of Houston, Texas in Mont Belvieu. Roper Racing fields the No. 04 CarQuest Ford F-150 and 2020 season marked the team’s third year in competing in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series. The team plans to run a full season next year.
- 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 at the local and regional levels at short tracks in Texas and Oklahoma, where he won Points and Track Championships. 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 Team purchased 16 Ford F-150 trucks and a number of additional assets from the Brad Keselowski Racing stable to build Roper Racing Team.
- About CarQuest Auto Parts: 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 Preferred Industrial Contractors, Inc. Ford F-150
What are your goals for Charlotte Motor Speedway?
“I want to have a good solid race. I’m looking forward to getting back to the track in the CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 truck. I am hoping to get a clean start and stay with the front pack. We had a fast truck at Charlotte last year and I am hoping we can come back this year with as much speed and a good finish.”
Shane Whitbeck, crew chief of the No. 04 Preferred Industrial Contractors, Inc. Ford F-150
What are your goals for Charlotte Motor Speedway?
“My goals for Charlotte are a lot different normal. With not having practice or qualifying we are going to take the first 20 laps to feel the truck out and race the track. After that we will start trying to position ourselves into the top 12 so at the end of the race we can come home with a good solid finish. I can’t thank CarQuest, Preferred Industrial Contractors, and Alliance enough for what they do for us and all the essential workers that help their companies. I am proud to represent them and be able to entertain them with a sport we all love. It feels really cool with Memorial Day to run the CarQuest paint scheme of red, white, and blue. I hope we all can take time this weekend to be with our families and remember all the people that have given their lives so that we are able to be free and do what we love to do.”