Qualifying
After an eventful drive to the track through some very heavy fog, I was able to watch Derrike and his team prepare the car and practice for qualifying. The car looks great with the new sponsor Great Barrier Reef Online. Made me think of the days when Derrike drove the #12 for Bobby Allison and Badcock was the sponsor.

The car was tight during practice and Derrike and the crew made several adjustments. Each time the speed picked up. After practice it was time to start prepping the car for a qualifying run and inspection again.

Derrike made his qualifying run as the 24th car out. Unfortunately his run was not able to keep him in the top 36 but thanks to his standing in the points, he was able to take the last provisional starting position and will race on Sunday with GBROnline.com on-board.

Derrike commented after qualifying that the car was still pushing just a bit during the qualifying laps.

Derrike and the crew have two practice sessions scheduled for Saturday to get the car in race trim for what will hopefully be a solid run on Sunday at Fontana Speedway. I have taken a few pictures and will hopefully have them posted in the next few days.

Happy Hour
The weather at CA Speedway was much nicer today. the day started early for Derrike and crew with a practice session before the Winston West race. During this practice the team worked on the handling of the car. The team is apparently thinking of long run setup as they used tires that already had some laps on them. Since California has notoriously been a race with some long green runs, this is probably a good idea.

Unfortunately the first test session was marred by the blown engine and crash of Johnny Benson so Derrike did not get but a few runs on the track before the first practice ended. Another practice followed the Winston West race and Derrike made several runs testing different track bars in the rear of the car and some different tire pressures and other suspension adjustments. Unfortunately at the end of the practice session, something failed in the motor.

The silver lining to that is better on Saturday than during the race on Sunday. The crew then began the long and tough work of replacing the motor in the #37.

Tomorrow is race day. Hopefully Derrike and the team will have a solid run for the new sponsor. My family and I will be there to cheer him on and hope that he has a safe and prosperous day. I will provide a race report tomorrow night with the results. Hopefully I remember to put some sunscreen on as well! I wasn't ready for that California sunshine today.

The Race
Sunday was another bright and beautiful California day. The morning began early for Derrike and his team with final preparation of the #37 Great Barrier reef Online Chevy. After going through final inspection the car was rolled out to the starting grid. Later Derrike was announced in his 43rd starting position and took a ride around the track waving to the spectators.

The race began with a caution on the first lap. Thankfully Derrike was able to slow down and navigate through the mess on the backstretch caused by the collision of the #12 and pole sitter Steve Park. Derrike stayed on the track during the caution and moved up a few spots as others pitted. On the restart Derrike reported the car was very tight and he dropped back in the field.

At lap 9 another yellow flag flew for the spin of Jack Sprague. Unfortunately as Derrike came by to take the caution he reported an engine problem. The crew chief confirmed the car sounded bad and told Derrike to come in to the pits. On pit road the team looked under the hood and found the problem was inside the engine and was terminal so they called it a day and packed everything up for the long trip back east.

Derrike finished the race in 43rd position after completing only 9 laps due to the engine problems. The remainder of the race was a pretty good show with one of my favorites, Kurt Busch, taking the win. While it was a disappointing finish for Derrike, I was glad to see him make the race and gain some valuable experience for his crew. Hopefully there will be brighter days ahead.

Bruce Bates
Derrike Cope Fan Club Secretary