ATLANTA A HARD FOUGHT BATTLE FOR SCHRADER & WOOD BROTHERS/JTG TEAM

Overcoming adversity during a race weekend is the earmark of a finely-tuned race team. Accomplishing the same feat again during race day is something entirely different. Ken Schrader and the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford team had their hands full for the duration of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, en route to a 37th place finish at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Rolling off the starting grid in the 29th spot, Schrader immediately began to feel out the car, measuring what it was capable of doing. The initial reports were not that encouraging. However, under the careful guidance of Crew Chief Ernie Cope, the team turned their adversity into a valiant struggle that would last for all 325 laps. Atlanta Motor Speedway boasts the fastest speeds on the circuit and having a loose race car always aggravates the minor problems.

As the laps clicked off, Cope suggested several changes to bring the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford to heel. They included air pressure adjustments, track bar adjustments and removing rubbers from the rear springs of the car. At times, the exasperation was obvious over Ken Schrader’s radio. “All I can do is hold on,” he reported during one particular rough stretch of wrestling the steering wheel.

The No. 21 Little Debbie Ford wasn’t the only car with handling problems on Sunday as many teams in the field at different times of the day fell into a wide range of running positions. A pass through speeding penalty for the team on lap 133 compounded the frustration in the Wood Brothers/JTG pits, but the team would begin to pull together and shine from that moment on.

On lap 147, Schrader raised the possibility that the car might have a broken shock. He was doing a masterful job to keep the car under him and turn decent lap times as the crew scrambled to figure out the problem. On a lap 193 pit stop, the crew was able to take some extra time and attend to the chassis setup.

The car began to respond and Schrader began to get more comfortable behind the wheel.

On lap 230 of the 325-lap race, the only severe accident of the day occurred, which turned out to be a four car wreck involving David Reutimann, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers.

As the laps wound down, it was Schrader asking to be freed up again for the final run of the day on a lap 265 pit stop. There would be a fifth and final caution with just 15 laps to go, bunching up the field for the final restart on lap 314. Schrader held serve in the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford, crossing the line with a clean car in 37th place.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Ken Schrader, driver of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford:
“I’ll tell you something—I had random thoughts about quitting around lap 100. I figured we were that up against it, but we wound up with a great race car there at the end of the race. Ernie and these guys kept adjusting and kept fighting all day long.

They don’t have quit in them and I don’t have it in me. We always motivate each other and that’s why we didn’t give up today. We may not have gotten the finish we wanted, but it’s points and we’ll take it and go on to get ready for Bristol next week. That’ll be a whole other ball game there—believe me.”

Ernie Cope, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford:
“It was a tough day for us, but I think it was a tough day for a lot of the teams out here. Sometimes, Atlanta can really throw you a curve ball when you’re looking for that setup. Even the leaders were all over the place coming off of four all day, so that’s a credit to the guys that drive these Cup cars—the talent they have. I’m real proud of my guys. Nobody on this team puts their head down and gives up. They fight and they fight all day long. That’s all I can ask…that and that we get better every week.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Ken Schrader, driving the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford, started 29th and finished 37th in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
-Ken Schrader will be behind the wheel of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford next week at the Bristol Motor Speedway…but his car won’t look a thing like it did today. Next weekend marks the debut of NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow” or COT Car. The “Car of Tomorrow” will become the “Car of Today” next Friday morning at Bristol, beginning with the first Nextel Cup practice session at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
-The new look Car of Tomorrow has a chassis that is two inches taller and four inches wider than the models which have run so far this season. There is no longer a rear spoiler, but a rear wing and the front air dam now has an adjustable splitter, similar to what is run on the Craftsman Truck Series’ entries.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – Food City 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race
When – Sunday, March 25th, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Where – Bristol Motor Speedway; 500 laps, 266.5 miles
Network – FOX Network; PRN Radio Network