Derrike will be driving in Atlanta with PHM on the car.

In the first practice, Derrike was 40th fastest of 50 drivers with a time of 29.554 and speed of 187.589.

In qualifying, Derrike blazed the track and produced a lap of 29.201 and speed of 189.857. At the end of the round this put the #37 Chevrolet in 23rd position where it will start the race.

In the 2nd practice Derrike was 43rd fastest with a time of 31.222 and speed of 177.567. In Happy Hour, he was 43rd fastest with a time of 31.235 and speed of 177.493.

An article appeared from the Associated Press:

Derrike Cope had his best qualifying effort of the season for Sunday's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, and it couldn't have come at a better race.
Cope is carrying the colors of Paramount Hospitality Management, which will sponsor him next season. He starts 23rd after a lap of 189.857 mph.

"I talked to them on the phone, and they're all excited," Cope said. "This is a big deal for us this weekend."

In his previous 16 races, Cope had a best start of 24th at Bristol in March. That's one of only four times this year, including this weekend, that he's made the field on speed. His other starts have come after he relied on a provisional.

"We've struggled a bit with our motor program this year, because we're just trying to survive to next year," Cope said. "A track like this, where we don't lose many RPMs in the turns, is really perfect for us, because we just don't have enough horsepower to go fast at most of the other tracks."

The speed didn't hold up in two practice sessions Saturday; Cope's was the slowest car in both.

Derrike started the race in 23rd position. After 39 laps the race was stopped for a rain delay. At that point Derrike was in 40th position. The race was eventually postponed until Monday. At the end of the race Derrike finished in 40th position.

Looking back on his recent team performance at Atlanta, Derrike commented, "Atlanta was a productive effort and our qualifying success provided a big morale boost for our team. Actually, our qualifying lap was just about perfect. In the race itself we had the car handling pretty well. We struggled horsepower-wise and eventually dropped out due to engine problems."