Samsung/Radio Shack 500

April 4, 2004
Fort Worth, TX

Look for Derrike in the #50 Dodge this weekend in Texas. Regarding the upcoming weekend, Derrike commented, “Texas is a fast track with a lot of grip. I like that kind of place. Running in both races gives me some extra seat time which I find to be an advantage. Hopefully, we’ll get good starting positions for both races. One thing for sure, we’ll give it our best shot.”

In the first practice, Derrike was 33rd fastest with a time of 28.495 and speed of 189.507.

In Qualifying, Derrike produced a lap of 28.412 and speed of 190.061. At the end of the round, Derrike had made the race in 31st position.

In Happy Hour, Derrike was 33rd fastest with a time of 29.582 and speed of 182.543.

Derrike started the race in 31st position. At the first caution, the team decided to take just 2 tires and Derrike came out in 14th position. He ran up in 10th position until green flag cautions happened and then the trouble began. He ran out of gas coming into the pit and couldn't get the car started again without pushing it. By the time the #50 Dodge got out on the track, it was 2 laps down and Derrike was back to 39th position.

Derrike finished the race in 37th position after having to leave the race early.

We spoke with Derrike and got his perspective on this past weekend’s Nextel Cup race. "Our Cup car was good off of the truck. Although we made the race on speed, I overdrove the car in qualifying. Nevertheless, we were solidly in the field. After Happy Hour Mike (Hillman) and the crew made some chassis changes for the race Sunday and as a result the car was great. It was very loose for the first ten to fifteen laps after changing tires and then it really came into its’ own. Mike and I have excellent communication and he really understands what I need in the handling of a race car. As you could see we were really strong in the early race.

"We ran out of gas just prior to a pit stop and had to push the car to get it fired. Also, we had to return to pit road for a drive through penalty. That whole episode put us down a couple of laps. Later in the race we had an exhaust blowout right over the U joint. That heated up the drive shaft and caused tremendous vibration. We made an attempt to repair it, but couldn’t get the problem fixed and so we had to park it. Sunday served to reinforce that we are a solid race team. I must say that it’s great to be racing well again. We are a team deserving of sponsorship. This Sunday is another race at Martinsville and we are looking forward to a strong performance there."