Saturday, July 18th, 8:00 PM ET on FS1 and MRN
Truck: No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 for Roper Racing
Crew chief: Shane Whitbeck
Texas Motor Speedway Notes of Interest
- Cory Roper and the CarQuest Auto Parts #04 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Team are headed to Texas Motor Speedway for the Vankor 350. This race will consist of 145 laps/217 miles. This season is Roper Racing’s 3rd year in the NASCAR truck series and his 23rd start in the truck series.
- Texas Motor Speedway is the home track for this Texas race team. Roper got his first top ten finish at this track with 9th place last season.
- Roper is currently 20th in driver points standings and 25th in owner points.
- Last Race: Last race at Kentucky Speedway was with no practice, no qualifying, and his first time around the 1.5 mile track when the green flag was dropped. Roper drew his position based on points and started 30th in the pack. After avoiding a few wrecks, Roper worked his way up to p23rd in stage 3 when the race was called due to weather at lap 71.
- 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 would like to put a complete race together. I think we have the equipment and the team to click off some great finishes. I am getting more comfortable and really enjoying these mile and a half tracks. I am confident that we can start clicking of some top ten finishes. I am looking forward to getting in that Ford F-150 CarQuest truck this weekend.”
Shane Whitbeck, crew chief of the No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150
What are your goals for the race?
“Texas is Cory’s home track and the place he got his best finish. I feel really good going into this race after our last race at Kentucky Speedway. The CarQuest Ford F-150 was a really good truck. We just needed the rain to stay away. Cory has figured out what he needs at these bigger tracks to make speed. Now as a team we just need to start getting better track positioning and that will equal better finishes. It was a good feeling at Kentucky Speedway to know that was our first Roper Racing body and chassis. As a small team, we are right on schedule with our growth plan and we couldn’t do this without all of our great partnerships with CarQuest Auto Parts, Preferred Industrial Contractors, Alliance Aviation, TechNet Pros, Encore Plane Parts, Wing Aviation Group, and Dynacoat.”