Batman Begins 400

June 19, 2005
Brooklyn, MI

Derrike informed us, "I will be going to the Michigan speedway to attempt the Nextel Cup race for Conely Motorsports. The car is a Chevrolet. They are a great group of people and I look forward to working with John and his team."

The car is the #79 Monte Carlo and SBC and Tubby's Subs are the sponsors for the car. This is a photo of Derrike testing the car in Michigan on June 7th. Photo courtesy of Conely Motorsports.

In the first practice, Derrike was 44th fastest with a time of 39.482 and speed of 182.362. In Happy Hour, he was 45th fastest with a time of 39.768 and speed of 181.050. Here is a photo of Derrike during testing:

More photos can be seen in Picture Gallery 123.

In Qualifying, Derrike was 7th on the track and produced a fastest lap of 38.895 with speed of 185.114. Unfortunately at the end of the round, he was 45th fastest which meant the #79 Monte Carlo will miss the race.

After qualifying, Derrike had this to say, "We gave a good effort but fell short. We just could not find the speed necessary. In my opinion we learned a lot about what this car needs, but we just need to spend some more time testing to really find the right attitude for the car to get the speed necessary. The guys worked really hard and I really wanted it for all of them. They really have a passion for racing and I feel that good things are in store for them in the near future."

All photos courtesy of Conely Motor Sports