SCHRADER READY TO ROLL IN HOT-LANTA

Veteran driver Ken Schrader returns to action this weekend in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After stepping aside in the No. 21 car last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway so that Jon Wood could make his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup debut, Schrader will be back behind the wheel of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford.

Ken Schrader has 45 starts at the 1.5-mile track, billed as the fastest speedway on the circuit. He claims one victory on the high banks of Atlanta Motor Speedway, coming in the Spring Event of 1991. He also has three top-fives and eight top-10 finishes in his career there.

The Wood Brothers/JTG NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Team moved up to 39th in owner points after the season’s third event, just two races away from determining automatic entry based on the top-35 teams. The strategy is simple and familiar. Get as many points on Sunday as possible.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Ken Schrader, driver of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford:
“I’m rarin’ to go this weekend at Atlanta. It wasn’t easy on the sidelines last week, but I got a pretty good racing fix anyway over at the dirt track [Las Vegas Bullring for two nights]. This is both a good car and a familiar chassis for us. We’ve run it at many of the 1.5-mile tracks last year and I certainly like the way it responds to changes.

We’ve got our marching orders when it comes to the points. Jon did a fine job for us last week in his [Cup] debut, gaining us a couple of spots or so. Come Sunday, we have to put all of our efforts on finishing this race and making sure we keep moving up the ladder for that automatic-admission berth once we leave Bristol.”

Ernie Cope, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford:
“We gained a little bit more ground in our points quest, but we’re not there yet. The guys are well aware of what we need to do both this week and the next to stay in this top-35. That’s what I like the most about this group—we all pull together when it matters the most. I read somewhere that a group’s success is measured by how well they respond to adversity, not success. That’s the definition of the guys I have.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Ken Schrader will be behind the wheel of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford this week at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday, March 18th, 2007.
-Ken Schrader has one victory, three top-fives and eight top-10 finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race
When – Sunday, March 18th, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Where – Atlanta Motor Speedway; 325 laps, 500.5 miles
Network – FOX Network; PRN Radio Network