As has already been reported, Derrike qualified 27th. The black, silver, and red #37 Dee Zee Pontiac looked great from my seat in the second turn when Derrike came out of the pits for the pace laps.

As the field accelerated into the third turn on lap one, Derrike immediately came on the radio reporting that he smelled oil in the car. He dropped to the inside as he came down the backstretch on lap two and headed into the pits. The crew went under the hood and found an oil leak. Derrike encouraged the crew to fix it so they get some laps on the track under race conditions. After four laps, the #37 returned to the race. Alas, the pesky oil leak was not fixed and Derrike went to the garage after running only three more laps. There was a brief discussion of attempting to return to the race. The limited number of laps in the race and the fact that the car was undamaged led the crew and Derrike to determine that it would be better to focus their efforts on getting ready for the 600 this weekend.

Upon further examination, radio conversation among the crew indicated that the source of the oil leak was around the oil filter. A crack or leak between the end of the filter and the O-ring base was the initial diagnosis.

It was unfortunate that Derrike was not able to run longer. Pre-race conversation on the radio indicated that everyone was focused and prepared for a good night. On the pace laps, Derrike took time from his pre-race activities to personally thank the representatives from Dee Zee, Inc. for their support.

Onward Ho ... the 600 awaits!!