Derrike and the Quest Motor Racing team are finalizing preparation for a busy schedule at Daytona as the 2003 racing season gets under way in February. Earlier today Derrike shared the following, “We are delighted to have the sponsorship of Friendly’s and to represent them at the Super Bowl of auto racing, the Daytona 500. After our Daytona testing in January, we learned a lot as we evaluated our test data and I feel good about what we have done to improve our performance both in terms of horsepower and addressing aero issues. Frankly, I believe that we are going back to Daytona with a much improved car.”

In Saturday's first practice, Derrike was 48th fastest with a time of 50.101 and speed of 179.637. In the second practice, Derrike was 47th fastest with a time of 50.135 and speed of 179.515.

First round qualifying was rained out on Sunday and was held Monday instead. This caused cancellation of the second round of qualifying. In qualifying, Derrike was 47th fastest with a time of 49.815 and speed of 180.669. He will start the Gatorade 125 race 1 in 24th position on Thursday.

In the third practice held on Tuesday, Derrike moved up to the 22nd fastest with a time of 48.101 and speed of 187.106.

In the fifth practice held on Wednesday, Derrike was 34th fastest with a time of 48.143 and speed of 186.943. In the fifth practice, he was 42nd fastest with a time of 48.759 and speed of 184.581.

Gatorade 125 Race 1

In the Gatorade 125 race 1, Derrike started in 23rd position. He ended the race in 24th position. This was not enough though to make the Daytona 500.

Derrike's Chevrolet had a difficult time keeping up in the draft, and he never found enough speed to make it better. "We've got a lot of work to do before we come back to Talladega or Daytona," Derrike said. "We're just missing it somewhere."

The Friendly's car was on the Friday's edition of the USA Today:

Ken Fleming was at Daytona during the week and provided a live report.