Bud at the Glen

August 10, 1997
Watkins Glen, NY

Coming off back-to-back top-20s at Watkins Glen, Derrike feels he could take his new team to a top-10 finish. "We truly have the potential of running in the top-10 this weekend at Watkins Glen, and with some good luck, we could even win this race," said Derrike. "Ryan (Pemberton, crew chief) and the rest of the SKITTLES® team (have) worked exceptionally hard at getting this new car prepared. With the combination right- and left-hand turns on a road course, the downforce and balance of the car contribute a great deal to the handling. I'm confident that the guys will find the right qualifying combination this weekend."

"With just one groove to run in the turns, passing is even more difficult at Watkins Glen than at other tracks," continued Derrike. "You can't run wide open and rely solely on horsepower. Brakes and shifting often come into play on a road course."

As for the team's rough ride at Indy, a crash on lap 13 ended their day early, but it may have earned them a Purple Heart. The SKITTLES® car displayed the United States Marines logo on the rear quarter panels, which were damaged in the wreck. Co-owner Tom Beard is sending the 'wounded' panels to his friend John Dalton, who is Secretary of the United States Navy, in hopes that perhaps the car might receive a Purple Heart for being wounded in action.

In first round qualifying, Derrike came out on the track as the 28th of 45 cars. After his run, he was the 24th fastest with a time of 1.14.392 and a speed of 118.561. At the end of the round the team was left in 35th position. The team decided to stand on their time and after the second round qualifiers, the the SKITTLES® Pontiac was in the show with a starting position of 37th.

This is where Derrike was during the race among the 42 cars:

• 35th position - lap 8 of 90
• 34th - lap 14
• 27th - lap 20
• 39th - lap 46 (ESPN never acknowledged that Derrike was off the track and what had happened to him. On lap 50, we saw Derrike on the track again in front of leader Geoff Bodine.)

Derrike ended the race in 38th position and slipped another position in the point standings to 28th. MRN Radio did interview Derrike and he informed them that the team had a problem with the transmission. (Thanks to Patty Leizear for this info)

During the race, Derrike said, "We broke a transmission. We're putting another transmission in and we'll go back out and try to get some points. Actually it's not bad out there, you know. It's a little tough to pass out there. Everybody's so close. You got to get out of line to pass somebody. It's a tough day for us."