NASCAR BGN: Tony Roper Inks Two Year Agreement As Washington Erving / Dr Pepper Driver
5 November 1999
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Tony Roper, 34, has signed on as the driver of the Dr Pepper-sponsored
Washington Erving Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carol for the 2000-20001
NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division seasons. Terms of the
two-year contract were not disclosed. Roper replaces Mark Green, who mover
to another team for the 2000 season. A native of Springfield, Mo., Roper
is a second generation racecar driver. He drove a partial Busch schedule
in 1999, recording three top ten finishes.
"When Mark Green decided to move to another team, Tony Roper surfaced as the leading candidate to fill the seat in our car," state Joe Washington, the principal team owner. "Mark did a great job for us, and we wish him well after this season ends. Tony is a good fit for the team and our sponsors, and his enthusiasm is contagious."
Roper has driven competitively since 1986, working his way up from the modified and late model cars on dirt and asphalt tracks, to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series in recent years.
"When it became obvious we would need a new driver in 2000, we worked closely with team management to quickly access all of our options, and Tony Roper is clearly the best fit for Washington Erving and Dr. Pepper," said Cindy Clark, Dr Pepper senior vice president-marketing. "Race for the Checked Flag will be next year's Dr Pepper national stock car racing promotion, with the winning consumer receiving a cash prize equal to Tony's winning at the Homestead, Fla. Race in November 2000. Our third-year sponsorship of car number 50 should be bigger and better than ever, and we enthusiastically look forward to the state of the season at Daytona next February," concluded Clark.
In addition to a new driver, Washington Erving announce engine/header changes. a new chassis design and an expanded pre-season testing program at tracks where Roper has not driven. Darrell Bryant, a veteran of more than 30 years of stock car racing, remains as crew chief. "We are eager to work with Tony, and look forward to continued on-track performance improvement in 2000," stated Bryant.
"We improved from non-competitive our first year, to competitive in 1999. Now it is time to raise the bar and race with top Busch Series teams," declared Washington. "I believe all of the elements are in place to achieve that goal in 2000."
Washington Erving Motorsports is headquartered in Lexington, N.C., and is owned by former National Football League (NFL) star Joe Washington, former National Basketball Association (NBA) great Julius Erving and businessman Fields Jackson, Jr. and Asa Murray.
Dr Pepper is the leading brand in Plano, Texas-based Dr Pepper/Seven-Up, Inc.'s extensive soft drink portfolio. Dr Pepper/Seven-Up is the leading non-cola soft drink enterprise in North American, with about 15 percent of the U.S. Market. It is also the largest subsidiary of London-based Cadbury Schweppes pic. In addition to Dr Pepper the company's other leading brands include 7-Up, Canada Dry, A&W Root Beer, Sunkist, Welch's, Schweppes, Squirt, and Hawaiian Punch.
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