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#73 flipNbags.com Dodge coming in for a pit stop at Richmond Derrike in his flipNbags.com uniform
Racing Team and Schedule
Below is the current racing schedule for the 2009 season. Keep checking back as we will update the schedule as the season progresses.
Date Series Track Time Channel Finished
May 1 Nationwide Richmond Fri, 7:00pm ESPN2 Running - 22nd
May 8 Nationwide Darlington Fri, 7:00pm ESPN2 DNQ - Due to Rain
*May 16 Sprint Cup Charlotte Sat, 7:00pm Speed (All Star Weekend) Running - 28th
May 23 Nationwide Charlotte Sat, 7:00pm ESPN2 Running - 34th
May 31 Sprint Cup Dover Sun, 1:30pm FOX DNQ
June13 Nationwide Kentucky Sat, 8:00pm ESPN2 Running - 22nd
July 26 Sprint Cup Indianapolis Sun, 1:00pm ESPN DNQ
Aug 21 Nationwide Bristol Sat, 7:30pm ESPN2 Running - 26th
Derrike finished the race in 26th position and Kevin Lepage finished 40th.
Before the race Derrrike said, "We are headed for Bristol this weekend. I will be in the #73 flipNbags/EZPCbackup.com Dodge and Kevin Lepage will be in the #78 car. I am hopeful that we can be more productive than we have been as of late. We continue to struggle with one of the cars on the larger racetracks with it be extremely loose. This weekend is a short track and that car has responded well so we are looking forward to getting started Friday morning. Hopefully the weather does not crimp our style."
Allstate 400 - July 25, 2009
After the weekend Derrike said, "You are all probably wondering what happened at Indy. Simply put we did not perform well enough to make the race. We struggled from the very first lap on the racetrack. We were loose and the car would not seem to allow me to drive it. It wanted to drive me which will not work. We just do not have enough experience yet with this car to be consistent enough to battle effectively to qualify for one of these Sprint Cup races at this exact moment.
"Gary Keller and myself, along with Rick and Del Markle, are working on acquiring some assistance from a veteran crew chief to lead us down the proper path. We have already purchased some parts and pieces that he has led us to believe is necessary to start that process. We will take the next two weeks to properly prepare for Michigan and try there again.
"We were scheduled to run Pocono this weekend, but have elected to withdraw and be better prepared with some things that hopefully will put us closer to the competition at Michigan in a couple weeks."
Derrike started the race in 28th position and finished in 22nd position. After the race he said, "This past weekend's race at Kentucky came off pretty well for us. We practiced better than we qualified which was 28th. We did not adjust for the warmer weather as well as we should have and the car was very loose in qualifying so I took it a bit easy and calculated not to make any mistakes since we had a lot of flipNbag people there and various other friends.
"The one problem we are faced with is that we are a non-lock in car and that does not allow us the luxury of practicing in a race configuration like the top 30 lock in cars, so when the race comes, we are off on the chassis. Like Saturday night when we took the tape off the front of the car and lowered the air pressure, coupled with the night time we were very tight and the car would absolutely not turn. We had to work hard all night to get the car to respond. I made a few mistakes which hurt us as well. All in all, not a bad effort and the finish is respectable for our small race team.
"As for the pull down rig we used, it is a fixture that you put the car on and there are load cells and platforms in which you can actually pull the front of the car down and simulate the car going through its travel as it would on the race track. You then can measure geometry points, look at camber and caster, the coil bind of the springs in Nationwide and the bump stops on the Cup cars. We still need to correlate with what the pull down rig shows us and what the race track actually shows us to better understand and further our learning of what is needed. This has been the first time we have had the opportunity to get on there and learn. Hopefully we will be able to aid in the bump stop configurations on the Cup car when we run it next.
"We only have two more races for flipNbags, a Cup race at Pocono, and Bristol with the Nationwide car. We are off to Milwaukee this weekend. I had a lot of fun this weekend as well as the crew. They had good pit stops and overall did a great job."
Derrike finished the race in 34th position. After the race he said, "We qualified for the race in 35th or 37th but started 43rd because of all the locked in cars that qualified behind us. I was not happy with that effort. The car would not turn and that pretty much was the way it was all night in the race. We never seemed to be able to get the car to turn. We tried a lot of things but we needed to have more spring split in the rear of the car possibly. We just missed the setup, so we will have to re-evaluate things for Kentucky where we will go next with the flipNbags Nationwide series car.
"We are now preparing for Dover, DE where we will attempt to run the Cup car. We are excited to get there to see where we stack up. We need to get to the race track and begin to learn what these cars are going to want. With no testing we have to go to the races to learn. Unfortunatly we are behind all the other teams so I am sure it will be a steep learning curve. I am still optimistic and look forward to the challenge ahead."
Derrike talked about the upcoming weekend. He said, "We are gearing up for another race in the Nationwide Series this weekend at Lowes Motor Speedway. flipNbags.com will once again be on the car. We are very excited about their presence at Lowes Motor Speedway. The flipNbags show car will be on display as well as having flipNbags available for purchase and new flipNbags Hero Cards with a tear off coupon for 10% off hotel rooms at Red Roof Inns. Additionally, there will be Miss flipNbags.com 2009 there to sign autographs and the launch for the search for Miss flipNbags.com 2010.
"I am looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can attempt to get qualified. There is a lot happening and I am very excited to keep getting to the racetrack. The more we can get there and learn the more productive we will continue to be."
Derrike finishes the race in 28th position. Derrike said last week, "It is off to the Showdown at Lowes Motor Speedway where flipNbags will be back on the Cup car along with Blu Frog energy drink as an associate sponsor. Gary Keller, myself, and Rick and Del Markle are really excited about Lowes and the weeks ahead."
Qualifying was canceled because of rain so the lineup was set by the qualifying order putting Derrike starting the race in 17th position.
NASCAR decided to say qualifying is a rain out for Nationwide and base the race on owner's points. Hence Derrike is out of the show even after running 24th fastest in practice. NASCAR could still have Sprint Cup qualifying though.
Derrike talked about the inability to be able to qualify Friday and his future plans. He said, "It comes down to the guys that have shown up week in and week out. They have attempted every week or more times than we have and that is the structure. The way the schedules are so compacted it is difficult to have any recourse when weather becomes a factor. Cup also take priority, and television is what becomes important, not the teams. It hurts more or frustrates you more when this happens to you, and you have a sponsor and you can actually race.
"We were a good race car and that was evident in our speeds. We will just have to get over it and come back strong at Lowes for the next few weeks and try to be as good there.
"It is off to the Showdown at Lowes Motor Speedway where flipNbags will be back on the Cup car along with Blu Frog energy drink as an associate sponsor. Gary Keller, myself, and Rick and Del Markle are really excited about Lowes and the weeks ahead."
Derrike told us this, "Richmond was a pretty productive weekend for us. We started out with practice which was okay. We struggled all weekend with the car not wanting to turn, but made the most of what we had to work with and learned some things that will help us be better in the upcoming races. Qualifying left me a bit disappointed as I thought we should have went a little faster, but 31st was where we ended up.
"At the start of the race we were tight on the long run, and not being a locked in car where the emphasis is on qualifying, we never did any race runs so we were guessing and did not have enough adjustability built into the car. We had brake problems throughout the night which also hindered our effort, but when it was all said and done a 22nd finishing position with minimal damage, not a bad outing. The crew did a great job on pit road and I only look for better things from these young guys.
"I really enjoyed getting to race the flipNbags.com Dodge. The paint scheme looks great and we also had a show car at the Best Buy in Mechanicsville as well. I am delighted with what Dale Clemons, TJ, Hiram, and Gail have done for us with this sponsorship program. We seem to be getting a lot of exposure and branding of the flipNbags."
Jennifer Jo Cobb in the #73 Truck with Price Chopper on as the primary sponsor will be starting the race in 34th position. The race was rain delayed after it started and will continue on Monday at 10:00am EST.
Derrike explained what happened during the weekend and upcoming plans. He said, "Jennifer crashed in practice with the #74 truck so we had to withdraw it. We let her drive the #73 truck in qualifying and the race. She was running 25th when the race was stopped. The race will continue on Monday but are calling for rain through Thursday. We will unfortunatly have to stop there. We have a commitment to be in Richmond, VA for flipNbags and the Nationwide Series. I feel badly about not finishing the race for Jennifer and her sponsors, but with all that transpired over the weekend and the fact that the crew has a 17 hour drive to get back and prepare the car for Richmond, some sacrifices are necessary. With being a small team and our commitment to our sponsor flipNbags we have to be prepared and the engines that are in the trucks will be used this weekend, so there is not a lot of time left to get ready."
Derrike updated us by saying, "This past weekend we took Nur Ali, a 34 year old driver from Fort Worth, Texas to the ARCA event at Rockingham Speedway. Nur did a great job qualifying the car in 28th position and finished 21st. This is really his first taste of what stock cars are all about. He has run at Daytona in ARCA, but not much more than that. We will continue to have conversations about what will be next for Nur.
"We are off to Kansas Speedway for the Camping World Truck Series. We will have Jennifer Jo Cobb in the #74 Truck with Price Chopper on as the primary sponsor, and I will be in the #73 Truck. We are excited to work with Jennifer once again after some very successful outings with her last year including a great drive at Kansas Speedway in the Nationwide Series. Practice begins on Friday and qualifying and racing on Saturday.
"We seem to have a lot going on as of right now. We will begin a very busy month of May starting at Richmond in the Nationwide Series where I will be driving the flipNbags.com Dodge and will continue on to Darlington and Lowes Motor Speedway. Additionally, we will have our Sprint Cup effort at The Showdown at Lowes Motor Speedway during All Star weekend. We will be debuting a new flipNbags.com paint scheme for that race as well. I am very pleased and excited to get in my own race cars and get back to racing!"
In a volatile economic climate for many NASCAR teams, Derrike Cope, Inc. (DCI) and Cope/Keller Racing (CKR) have found the "perfect demographic match" between the flipNbags.com products and NASCAR. flipNbags.com will sponsor Derrike Cope in five of his DCI NASCAR Nationwide efforts (Richmond, Darlington, Charlotte, Kentucky and Bristol) and one Cup event. Cope and the team are eligible for the NASCAR All-Star race weekend to participate in the Showdown at Lowes Motor Speedway and flipNbags.com will be the primary sponsor . Entries into the Camping World Truck Series are also being considered.
flipNbags.com sponsored the DCI entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Bristol as well as the CKR NASCAR Sprint Cup event in Martinsville. Driver Kevin Lepage finished 36th (expired engine) in Bristol and Cope was denied the opportunity to qualify in Martinsville due to inclement weather. Both flipNbags.com sponsored entries garnered media success for the company which was viewed as a critical part of the company's initial branding initiatives. "We debuted the EZ-Tote flipNbags product to the race fans in Bristol and found that we have a perfect product demographic match with NASCAR fans," said flipNbags.com representative Dale Clemons. "We looked at several options for engaging the NASCAR opportunity and decided that working with DCI and CKR presented the type of flexibility our effort required. Derrike and the team members at DCI and CKR are on board with our marketing plan and that's what we needed; a total team effort," stated Clemons.
"At a time when teams are struggling to find sponsorship for one race, we are pleased to be able to plan for at least a half a dozen with flipNbags.com support," said former Daytona 500 Champion, Derrike Cope. "It is a great time for a new sponsor to enter the sport as there are so many opportunities to spotlight a product in a multitude of media outlets." The EZ-Tote flipNbags product is a collapsible backpack cooler that includes built in seat cushions. During the Bristol race weekend, announcers spotlighted the product and commented on the sponsor several times. "We couldn't be more thrilled with our initial product launch at Bristol and that is why we are excited to bring this high quality, American made backpack cooler to race fans in other markets," said Clemons. The flipNbags.com show car will be on display throughout the season at various venues along with the E-Z Tote cooler which will be available for purchase. flipNbags Motorsports Marketing Director TJ Smith recommends that fans check the flipNbags.com web site for locations, dates and times.
Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 - Martinsville, VA - March 30, 2009
Derrike Cope was denied his opportunity to qualify the Cope/Keller Dodge entry with co-primary sponsors FW1/Fast Wax and flipNbags.com. With rain forecasted for Friday's practice and qualifying, the team considered withdrawing but ultimately decided to take a chance on a questionable forecast. "I think we were so anxious to see what this new car would do and to see how we stacked up against the competition, that we chose to be optimistic about the rain holding off until after qualifying," said Cope.
The team found themselves within .05 seconds from being quick enough to qualify and only .2 seconds behind the leaders. After a few adjustments the confidence level was high for being able to make the race. "You always feel despondent after being sent home from any race," said Cope, "but to not even get the chance to see how we stacked up really gets to us. We are encouraged, however, and are ready for our next Cup attempt."
Scotts Turf Builder 300 - Bristol, TN - March 21, 2009
After the race, Derrike gave us an update. He said, "We had a pretty good weekend but it ended too early. We qualified 18th. We got a little loose but Kevin's experience showed through and he managed to get us in the top 20. We were a little too tight early in the race. The crew made a few changes and the car was coming around until we encountered engine problems. We broke something in the valve train or a roller lifter problem which forced us to park it. It is off to Martinsville next weekend with the Cup car. I will update you with my thoughts about that later in the week."
Derrike's #73 car driven by Kevin Lepage finished the race in 36th position.
