#28 U.S Border Patrol Chevy Race Report for the NASCAR Busch Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

Quick Stats

Race & Distance: Watkins Glen, NY
Type of Track: 2.45 mile road course
Time of Race: 2 hours, 12 minutes, 48 seconds
Number of cautions: 5 for 11 laps
Number of entries: 41
Starting field: 41
#28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy position in practice: 34th
#28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy starting position: 35th
#28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy position obtained during the race: 21st
#28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy finishing position: 35th

#28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy & Derrike Cope Finishes 35th at Watkins Glen

The team arrived in New York on Thursday focused on the race weekend ahead. The Zippo 200 at the Glen was set to be the tail end of back-to-back road races in the Busch Series and the first road course race as primary sponsor for the U.S. Border Patrol. Friday morning shortly after tech, the JRR Team started preparing the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy for the practice session to run later on in the afternoon. Unfortunately practice was cut short by rain and we only got to get on the track for eight laps during the first practice session, with Derrike running a lap of 77.161 in the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy.

Friday afternoon the Star Gazette newspaper did some interviews with driver Derrike Cope, U.S. Border Patrol representative Todd Bryant and other team members. The piece ran and was top news in the Saturday August 11th issue of the Star Gazette paper. The following link has the story - http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/SPORTS0201/708110323/-1/Home

Saturday morning was upon us and it was time to go qualifying for the Zippo 200 at the Glen. Derrike and the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy rolled out in the second qualifying pack. Derrike improved on Fridays’ best lap and ran a 76.661, putting the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy in 35th position to start the race. ESPN2 carried live coverage of the race at the Glen on Saturday, August 11, 2007 at 3:30pm/est. The Zippo 200 was starting and the field of 41 was ready to go.

During the National Anthem of the Zippo 200 at the Glen, the U.S. Border Patrol had representation in and was a proud part of the Honor Guard Ceremonies. At the start of the race the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy was running strong and Derrike continued to push the car through the field when opportunities presented themselves. During the first third of the race Derrike had the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy all the way up to the twenty-first position. Unfortunately we had some misfortunes during the race, and shortly after creeping up into the top 25 we broke a track bar bracket and had to take Car #28 behind the wall.

The JRR Team worked furiously to fix Car #28 and to get Derrike back out on the track as soon as possible. Derrike and the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy did a great job fighting for position and keeping on the track for the remainder of the race. Derrike continued to run consistently smooth and grabbed a few extra spots and points, eventually finishing in 35th place.

Overall it was a tremendous team effort and a great weekend on and off the track at Watkins Glen for the JRR Team. We would like to thank the U.S. Border Patrol agents representing that were in for the weekend.