California 500 Live Report by Mike Bertrand

The first highlight of the race weekend was having Roger Penske personally greet us when we drove our motorhome to the infield. He was greeting guests and directing traffic.

The next day practice began at 10 am and I hung out near the SKITTLES® hauler to see what the team was up to. Derrike was making a lot of short runs and appeared to be concentrating mostly on tires and/or handling. The SKITTLES® team was using the same car from Michigan the week before. After about 1 1/2 hours of practice I noticed the SKITTLES® Pontiac had all but one and a half inches of the front grill taped up. They appeared to be working on their qualifying. Later that day I was able to ask Derrike about practice.

Q: How has your progress been so far?

A: "So far the car has been pretty productive. We have been tight in (turns) 1 and 2 and good in 3 and 4."

Q: What have your times been?

A: "About 39.60."

Q: What has your longest run out there been?

A: "Maybe 3 laps. We have been working on our tire sequences."

Q: Are you guys working on scuffing in your tires?

A: "Yes, we have done a lot of scuffing on our tire sequences."

Later Derrike qualified the SKITTLES® Pontiac with an official time of 39.836 and a speed of 180.741. Initially Derrike's time and speed was posted at 39.781 seconds and 180.991 mph. This would have put Derrike at a starting position of 19th. Derrike ultimately started 23rd.

The next day I was able to ask Derrike about the qualifying discrepancy and the teams progress.

Q: How do you feel about your qualifying lap?

A: "I am VERY despondant."

Q: Where did you qualify, I have seen 19th and 23rd. What happened?

A: "NASCAR claimed that the transmitter signal from our car was weak and that they were going to take the 'back up' time. We had a big talk with NASCAR about that."

Q: How did the car handle on the qualifying lap?

A: "We were tight in 1 and 2 but we actually gained in 3 and 4."

Q: How is the car handling the track overall?

A: "We are pushing in 1 and 2 but everyone is having that problem. It is tough to pass."

Q: Saturday morning practice times were about 1 - 2 mph faster across the board. Is a cooler track temperature the main reason?

A: "Yes."

Q: Are you going to change motors for the race?

A: "Yes. We use a separate motor for practice, qualifying, and the race. Each motor runs about $40,000."

Q: Thanks and good luck tomorrow.

A: "Thanks!"

After that interview I could see some of the crew members hovering around the motor (couldn't get a clear view). Near the hauler I could see a crew member removing the headers from an engine and another taking in an exhaust to the trailer.

During the race Derrike moved up to 4th after a great pit stop (I think they only took 2 tires). He then lost ground on the restart in turn 4 - the radio announcer said he got too high. Later in the race the SKITTLES® Pontiac was well off the pace - and was getting lapped. After the race I went back near the hauler and the entire crew was looking at the engine to find out what happened. I asked a crew member why the car was off the pace and he said "It looks like a valve broke. We are going to tear that engine apart tomorrow to find out what it was exactly."

And with that the team loaded up the hauler with the car and all of their equipment. Derrike was talking with some crew members and some individuals who I believe were the team owners.

Both times I talked to Derrike he was very gracious and signed autographs for the fans. He made sure everyone got an autograph before he would leave. He was the ONLY driver I saw go to the fence to sign autographs. While the SKITTLES® Pontiac had an off day, I am a proud supporter of Derrike and the team. Thank you Derrike for taking the time to answer my questions at the track and for the autograph - you are a class act!

Tomorrow I am going to get some pictures of Derrike and the car developed and will be mailing them in along with pictures from last year at Sears Point. I was told that the show car missed one appearance this week because the store it was to be at had ridiculous demands at the last minute for proof of insurance, permits, liability, and so on.