Cory Roper set for Homestead NASCAR Truck event, Juen 13

[NickHolt]

                                         

CORY ROPER

Driver/Owner

                                  Homestead-Miami Speedway Baptist Health 200

                                         June 13^th, 7:30 PM ET on FS1 and MRN

 

 

Truck: No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 Roper Racing Team

 

Crew chief: Shane Whitbeck

 

 

Baptist Health 200 Notes

• As the Roper Racing team travels from Texas to Homestead, Florida, for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Cory Roper is looking for some better luck heading into Miami from Atlanta. 
• Last Race  In Atlanta Motor Speedway, Roper had some ill fate during pit stops with 2 penalties during the race then transmission problems in the final stage.  Roper started 24^th and finished 23^rd.
• Back to a 1.5-Mile Track  The Baptist Health 200 will mark Roper’s 3rd time to run this 1.5-mile track. Roper best run in Homestead was his first time to run the track starting 19^th and finishing 17^th  in 2018.  Roper started the race from the 19th position and ran as high as 10th during the event. In Stage 1, he finished 23rd and lined up 24th for Stage 2. The race leader spun his tires on the ensuing restart, which stacked up the field behind him and dropped Roper back to 27th. Despite the setback, Roper was able to race his way back up to 23rd by the end of the stage.
  In the final stage, Roper started 22nd and methodically worked his way through the field. He cracked the top 20 at lap 84 and continued moving forward to the 17th spot at lap 121. He was able to maintain that position through the end of the race and took home the team’s third top-20 finish of the 2018 season.
• The Team  Based on the outskirts of Houston in Baytown, Texas, Roper Racing fields the No. 04 CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150. The 2020 season marks the team’s third year to compete in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series.
• The Driver  Roper has been racing since the age of 14.  He grew up watching his dad, Kenny Roper, compete. At 14, Roper started competing on a local and regional level at short tracks in Texas and Oklahoma. Roper always had a dream of getting into the NASCAR circuit. After sponsoring another driver, Roper had a chance meeting with the manager of BKR.  Roper purchased his first NASCAR truck from BKR and ran his first NASCAR race 6 months later.  With hard work, patience, and being in the right place at the right time, Roper’s dream came true.  The Vernon, Texas, native now resides in Baytown, Texas with his wife, Cherie, and daughters Megan and Britney.
• The Crew Chief  NASCAR veteran Shane Whitbeck serves as crew chief for the No. 04 Preferred Industrial Contractors, Inc. Ford F-150. The Sarasota, Florida, native previously worked at Brad Keselowski Racing for 10 years. Whitbeck relocated to Houston, Texas where he is now the full-time crew chief for Roper Racing Team.
• The Sponsors  Cory Roper and the Roper Racing Team are proud to partner with CarQuest Auto Parts for the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Season

  

Cory Roper, driver of the No. 04 Preferred Industrial Contractors, Inc. Ford F-150

What are your goals for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?

 

“We have found speed in our CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 the last two 1.5 mile tracks but the restarts haven’t gone our way.  I’m going to work on getting around the other trucks quicker so we don’t lose too much time with the group we should be racing with.  Shane, my crew chief, and the team have done a great job preparing our trucks with very little time and help.  Our partners with CarQuest Auto Parts and my crew deserve better finishes than we have had.  I am going to concentrate on making less mistakes on the track and on pit road. I believe better results will come soon.”

 

Shane Whitbeck, crew chief of the No. 04 Preferred Industrial Contractors, Inc. Ford F-150

What are your goals for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway? 

 

“Going to Homestead is going to be a lot like Atlanta in regards to not having a lot of grip.  Cory has done a great job trying different lines which allows me to change the set up to try to assist him with rear grip.  The CarQuest Auto Parts Ford F-150 Roper Racing truck has had a good long run speed which is allowing Cory to do more passing-so now he is working on how to use the air to get around other trucks.  Cory has come a long way on driving the mile and a half track so I can’t wait to get to Homestead and start this Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Race.”