Saturday, June 27th, 11:30AM ET on FS1 and MSN
Truck: No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 for Roper Racing
Crew chief: Shane Whitbeck
Pocono Notes of Interest
- Cory Roper and the CarQuest Auto Parts #04 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Team are traveling to Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway, also known as The Tricky Triangle, for the Pocono Organics 150 from their headquarters in South Texas. This season is Roper Racing’s 3rd year in the NASCAR truck series season, 22nd start in the truck series, and Cory Roper’s 1st time to race at Pocono’s 2.5-mile track.
- Last Race: Last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway was with no spectators, no practice, and no qualifying. Roper drew his position based on points and started 24th in the pack of 40, ran as high as 17th position, and finished 21st.
- 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 at Pocono?
“It’s the first time I will see Pocono. So, with no practice and no qualifying, I just want a good start. I want to take my time and learn how to get my time and learn how to get into the corners on the first stage. I think we have a great CarQuest Ford F-150 Truck that we are taking to the track and I just want to minimize mistakes and try to learn and to go home with a solid finish.”
Shane Whitbeck, crew chief of the No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150
What are your goals for the race at Pocono?
“Going into Pocono we have done a lot of work on getting Cory ready for his race. He has never been there so his first lap around this place is when the green flag comes out. I feel all of his hard work is going to pay off and we will be able to run in the top 15 by the end of stage two and that will put us in a good spot to get our first Top 10 this year. Everybody at Roper Racing has been doing a great job on getting our CarQuest Ford F-150 ready to race with good speed.”