All The News

2001

Regarding Quest Motor Racing, Derrike updated us on their activities, "We continue to work diligently on several options for next year.  

10/5/2001

Derrike Cope's Quest Motor Racing team has formed a union with hall kinion.com (www.hallkinion.com) and driver Damon Lusk, to do a one off race in the upcoming Silverado 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race, on October 5th at The Texas Motor Speedway. Sponsor, hall kinion.com, began in 1993 providing IT staffing and has now expanded to global contract and direct hire recruiting services to the world's leading companies in critical technologies sectors. With the experience of the Quest Motor Racing team, the financial backing of HK (hall kinion.com), and Damon Lusk's aggressive driving style in the #37 Ford F-150, expect to see great competitive racing, for fans and sponsors alike. Damon Lusk finished 11th in the truck race.

7/28/2001

"Quest Motor Racing will be running a Winston Cup car at the Brickyard 400 and it will be a Chevrolet number 37. The sponsor will be Geico Direct. It is a one off sponsorship race. Also DeeZee will continue as the associate sponsor, both on the remaining Winston Cup efforts as well as the Busch Grand National (BGN) events. In addition, IWX Motor Freight (Steve & Joan Coulter) and Stoops Freightliner have been involved, and we are very pleased to be affiliated with them for the Brickyard. We are excited to be going to Indianapolis. We tested there and had a productive test. We have made changes to the car with the hopes of improving some things aero-wise, as well as a substantial increase in horsepower when we return for qualifying.

"As far as the BGN car goes, it remains to be seen if we will participate at IRP, but do plan on running Michigan, Bristol, and Darlington. I have been very pleased with the progress of the BGN team and Fred Bickford is equally pleased. We feel that a few sponsorship deals may transpire to aid in the process in the near future. We will continue to keep you updated better since there will be a lot more to talk about!"

Note: If you want to thank Geico Direct for their sponsorship, please email them at contactmarketing@geico.com. Also there is a 1-800 number to do the same: 1-800-342-9070.

5/15/2001

Derrike provided us with the following information to update his fans. "We are extremely pleased with our test results at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. We had the opportunity to test two cars and are excited with the results of the testing session." Commenting on the Winston Open Derrike said, "We are looking forward to the Open and having Dee Zee as our primary sponsor for this race. Dee Zee will be bringing 50 guests to the race. I just completed a photo shoot in Nashville, Tennessee for advertising and promotional materials to be used in marketing the Dee Zee quality product line." In addition Derrike told us that they would evaluate their performance in the Open and use that data, as well as testing results, to determine which car that they will run in the 600.

5/4/2001

Derrike is pleased to announce that he will be driving in the Winston Open for Dee Zee, Incorporated. Dee Zee will sponsor the Quest Motor Racing Pontiac in the Open and will be an associate sponsor throughout the year. Dee Zee, based in Des Moines, Iowa, specializes in quality light duty truck accessories for the truck enthusiast. Speaking of this new sponsor association Derrike commented, "I am pleased to be affiliated with Dee Zee. We are excited to play a role in their marketing program and to participate in new product launches in June. I will be doing posters and other point of sale promotional materials to support their line of quality products and will be shooting a commercial for Dee Zee, Inc. in June."

Quest Motor Racing will participate in open testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 7 and 8.

2/10/2001

Television screen captures after qualifying run.

Here is a Media Player clip from the sequence that gave us the above pictures. 

2/9/2001

Forum user Jim ( JCoonrod@webtv.net ) was able to grab this 1st image of the new #37 K&N Performance Filters. Pontiac from the television during Daytona 500 practice.

1/26/2001

The Latest  from Derrike
I am pleased to have this opportunity to briefly update you on several key areas in our operation here at Quest Motor Racing as we prepare for Daytona and the 2001 Winston Cup season. First, regarding sponsorship, we continue to actively seek major and associate sponsors for the season as well as a one-race deal for Daytona. We hope to announce all of our sponsors for the Daytona 500 shortly. In addition, we are working to develop funding options that would permit us to run a limited schedule. As you can imagine the lack of sponsorship limits us in our operation. As I look at our operation the only ingredient that we lack is sponsorship to provide financial support. When that is in place we are poised to move forward. Currently, I am not under contract with any entity and am looking at several opportunities that will permit me to race on a regular basis.

I am sure that you have been kept up to speed on our Daytona testing. Our super-speedway car drove exceptionally well in the draft and exhibited excellent handling and drafting characteristics. We were able to secure valuable data that we are utilizing to make fine adjustments to our package to prepare us for Daytona. We are focusing on our drafting package as we expect to make the race based on our performance in our 125 race. I was extremely pleased to see how well our team jelled when we tested at Daytona. In spite of our sponsorship situation, we have been able to attract high quality, skilled personnel. The positive results that we achieved in our Daytona tests are reflective of their commitment and their expertise. My hat goes off to Joey Knuckles for his hard work and his excellent leadership. Frankly, the Quest team at Daytona performed on a level typical of Winston Cup teams that have been together for a year or more.

As you know, I will be driving for Impact Motor Sports in the Daytona Craftsman Truck Race. I have enjoyed participating in the Craftsman Series with Impact. They, too, are working to secure sponsorship for the 2001 series. On the third day of testing we were second fastest in the draft with a speed of 188.340. The truck handled well at those speeds and will be a force to be reckoned with at Daytona. The Impact team is using the results of our testing session to fine-tune both our qualifying and race packages.

As you can tell, we are looking forward to Daytona and hope to see you there.

1/9/2001

Beverly Mitzel Photo Update
Beverly was able to get us some great shop pictures of the QMR team testing a car on the wheel dyno in preparation for this week's visit to Daytona.

1/8/2001

The Latest From Derrike
 As you can imagine, with less than six weeks until the Daytona 500, things are moving at a very rapid pace at Quest Motor Racing. Nevertheless, I wanted to take a minute to briefly update you on our continued progress as we prepare for the 2001 Winston Cup season.

We are loading the trailer for our testing session at Daytona later this week. Joey Knuckles and the crew have put in a string of long days and have done a stellar job of preparing our team for the testing session. Recently, we completed our initial in-house chassis-dyno tests. Overall, we were pleased with the results of this in-house testing and the data that we obtained from this testing session. We completed a very methodical testing sequence that has not only provided us with excellent baseline data but has also enabled us to identify and rectify potential problems prior to this week's Daytona tests. We continue to be encouraged by the horsepower numbers that we are seeing and the performance of our engines. As we look forward to the Daytona testing, we will focus on securing aerodynamic and chassis data in order to enhance our performance as we prepare for the Daytona 500.

On the sponsorship front, we continue to have on-going discussions with potential sponsors. We continue to work toward securing sponsorship for the entire season. However, we are also working with several entities to put together associate sponsorship and limited race sponsorship packages. I continue to be optimistic as I realize that we are putting ourselves in a position to deliver for the sponsors who invest in us.

12/5/2000

11/10/2000

Quest Update:
I am pleased to provide you with this update on our progress to date at Quest Motor Racing. As you know, sponsorship is critical in putting together an effective and productive operation. I am hopeful that our sponsorship package will be in place by December 1st.

Our car development and preparation are right on schedule. Our first intermediate car is complete and is currently on the scales. Our second intermediate car is nearing completion. I anticipate that our first super speedway car will be in assembly by Thanksgiving. Finally, we expect to be assembling our second super speedway car by Christmas. Our goal is to have two super speedway cars to test at Daytona on January 11, 2001. Right now we are on schedule to meet that goal.

Our engine development program is going well. We continue to test our motors and have been pleased with the horsepower numbers that we are achieving. Our current focus is on developing and testing restrictor plate power plants.

I am positive and encouraged with our progress to date. As you can imagine, the next few months will be extremely busy and challenging as we hire staff and put our team together. We will continue to keep you posted on our progress.

10/10/2000

The Latest From Derrike:
I realize that it has been a while since my last update. As you can imagine things have been hectic here as we endeavor to pull together a viable racing operation for the 2001 Winston Cup season. We continue to forge ahead on several fronts. We continue to meet with potential sponsors and we have been encouraged with the receptivity of several potential sponsors. Naturally, I am not in a position to discuss sponsorship possibilities or any other specifics regarding potential sponsors at this time.

We have completed our first dynamometer test of our restrictor plate engine. The results of that testing were encouraging. We anticipate trying several different internal engine combinations for our next test now that we have a benchmark to use for performance comparison. Our first car is almost complete and we are working on our second car. We expect to test at Talladega in the fall.

On October 13th I will be driving the Impact Motor Sports Number 86 RC Cola Truck at the Craftsman Series Truck race at the Texas Motor Speedway. I will be helping out Impact for one race only and look forward to getting behind the wheel.

Let me close by addressing a couple of remarks about the website as that is the venue that I have chosen to publish information regarding Quest Motor Racing and my career. I appreciate the cooperation that my fan club officers have provided me in working with me and restricting the information to facts and not speculation. Ken Fleming and I talk regularly and often discuss areas that are in the works and are confidential. Please understand that Ken, Jeff Gutshall and Bruce Bates are not in the position to share that type of sensitive information via the website. Finally, when you have questions please direct them to my officers as opposed to calling Quest Motor Racing for information and updates. We will do our best to keep you up to speed via my website.

8/17/2000

Quest Motor Racing Pics
Derrike was able to give fan club member Beverly Mitzel a personal tour of the new shop.  Her pictures are located here.

8/8/2000

Update From Derrike
Derrike provided the following status report on efforts at Quest Motor Racing:

I am pleased with the progress that we are making in every aspect of our operations at Quest Motor Racing. We have a comprehensive plan for developing our operation and the implementation of our plan is on schedule. I anticipate that August will be an exciting month for us. Our in house engine program is up and running. In fact, I expect that we will be dynamometer testing our first restrictor plate and open motors by the beginning of September. 

We continue to actively pursue sponsorship for the 2001 season. Within a month we expect to receive responses to sponsorship proposals that we have already made to several potential sponsors. Adequate sponsorship is imperative for a successful operation and to fund a team capable of being competitive on a weekly basis. I have been encouraged by the initial reception that we have received to our sponsorship presentations. When sponsorship is locked in we will be in the position to rapidly move forward. 

Several persons have asked about our progress in hiring staff. Currently, we have staff dealing primarily with engine development. We expect to acquire additional staff in the near future. 

We will keep you appraised of further progress at Quest Motor Racing. I expect that we will have some exciting announcements soon. 

7/22/2000

Fan Club Meeting Mentioned
Holly Cain, of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer discusses Derrike's season and the Quest organization in an on line article.  The fan club meeting is also mentioned.

6/12/2000

Where is the new #37 shop?
This seems to be a popular question at the moment! Some fans that attended last year's fan club meeting spent an evening in Huntersville, courtesy of Beverly Mitzel. We got to see some of the town.  You cannot spend much time wandering around there without seeing some things more than once. A map from www.mapquest.com showing the town is located here. Another map, showing the town a bit closer can be found here. We will let you know any details as soon as our "scouts" get some information.

6/10/2000

Brickyard?
A news compilation by Mike Mulhern at PitNow mentions preparation efforts by the Quest Motor Racing team.

5/30/2000

Derrike Provides Team Update
During a recent phone interview, Derrike answered many of your questions that have been directed to our website. As you might expect, things are progressing rapidly for the Quest Motor Racing Team. Derrike commented on the status of operations, "I am pleased with what we have accomplished since our last conversation. Specifically, we expect to move into our facility located in Huntersville, North Carolina within the next three weeks. We have some prep work that we will be doing to the building. However, by the end of June I anticipate that we will have the facility ready to showcase and we will be operational. Currently, we have two cars and four more cars on order. Once we are fully operational, I expect that our focus will be on testing and getting cars ready to race. Also, I expect that we will have our engine development program up and running during the same time period."

Speaking of cars, here is what Derrike had to say on that subject. "Warren and I have been talking with representatives from both Chevrolet and Pontiac. I expect that we will make our decision within the next two weeks. Also, we have selected the car number for Quest Motor Racing. I will announce that after the fan club contest ends next week."

Don't be surprised to see Derrike behind the wheel for Quest Motor Racing this season. " Our plan is to run at least five races this year. That will permit us to take advantage of seven test sessions instead of the two test sessions that NASCAR grants to new teams. We are actively seeking sponsorship for these five races. Currently, we are looking at several options in terms of sponsorship packages. We anticipate that we will run at least five races of the last ten races of the season. The sponsor and their needs as well as our testing program results will determine which races that we will run," Derrike commented.

Please make sure that you check our website for future developments. A special thanks to Derrike for providing this update.

5/11/2000

Derrike Announces Quest Motor Racing Debut
Derrike Cope and Warren Johnson, NHRA Pro Stock Champion, have formed a partnership and are busily preparing for the 2001 NASCAR season. Quest Motor Racing will field a Winston Cup team for the 2001 season with Derrike behind the wheel. Obviously, much will need to be accomplished in a concentrated timeframe to prepare for the 2001 season. 

Derrike fully expects success and is clearly excited about the future. Speaking of the newly formed partnership, Derrike commented, "We share a common focus and have a good fit. Clearly, we compliment each other well. Warren is strong in engineering and has had great success as an engine builder. I view my strengths as my driving ability, communication, and my ability to relate to sponsors in the competitive business arena. I have always believed that the sponsor should receive a high return on their investment."

Putting together a successful NASCAR team in today's highly competitive environment is no small undertaking. Derrike continued, "I feel good about where we are in putting our operation together. Our focus is on completing our business plan, developing proposals for sponsorship and establishing a solid infrastructure to build upon."

Derrike advised us that they have retained Camp and Associates as their marketing firm. "They will represent us in our team marketing initiative, sponsorship development, and will handle our merchandise marketing effort," Derrike said.

Please make sure that you check our website for future developments. A special thanks to Derrike for calling us to update his fans via our website.