LUCK SLIPS AWAY AGAIN FOR SCHRADER AND THE 21 TEAM

Two weeks in to the season and two weeks of bad luck has put the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford team behind the 8-Ball as they head into the first off-weekend of the year. Ken Schrader finished 35th in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway after mechanical failures under the hood ended their day once and for all just 56 laps shy of the 250-lap race.

Rolling off the starting grid in the 40th spot, the day began with some promise as Schrader dodged the first wreck of the day on lap 7, which involved three cars and some pretty fancy footwork for the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford to avoid the mess on the backstretch. Two more caution flags flew for separate incidents prior to the first 20 laps, leading Schrader to remark that if they could get a run going, they would be able to show something for the weekend’s efforts.

Schrader restarted the race in 18th place on the lap 22 restart, held serve for a few laps, then remarked to crew chief Ernie Cope that the car needed to be freer in the corners. The team pitted for four tires on lap 51 and the over-the-wall crew pulled off a 14.18 second stop to keep Schrader in contention.

Then disaster struck as the yellow flag waved before Schrader could rejoin the leaders on the lead lap. Unable to make much progress though he did have a car showing lap times within a tenth of the leaders, the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford had to hold in place, hoping for a shot at the Lucky Dog free pass back onto the lap with the leaders.

As the day wore on, it looked less and less like the team would get that chance. When it rains, it pours as on lap 130, Ken Schrader radioed that the motor seemed to be losing power. Over the next few laps, he tried to baby the car around the 2.5-mile track, but the power plant refused to cooperate and the team retired to the garage on lap 159. The crew diagnosed the problem as best they could and were determined to finish the race no matter how many laps down at the finish.

The No. 21 Little Debbie Ford returned to the action on lap 191, 45 laps down to the leader, but still in 35th place. Unfortunately, the run only lasted three laps until the motor lost power for good, sending the team home. Though the day was not a success, the team was pleased with the overall effort of everyone at the track and their attitude of never giving up.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Ken Schrader, driver of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion:
“We don’t know what happened for sure. Something under the hood. We’ve got to finish these races. We’re not doing that so far.

I don’t know anything about those engines, other than ours broke. That’s very unusual for a Roush-Yates motor. They’re good, dependable engines. It could be a little bit of the unknown with the unleaded fuel. This is the first real good test for it.”

Ernie Cope, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion:
“Well, I don’t know. We didn’t need a day like this, but that’s racing as we all know it. We’re due for some luck and we’ll just get back to the shop, get working on our COT Test this week and be ready in two weeks at Las Vegas. Sometimes it’s hard to keep your head up, but I couldn’t be more proud of the guys and how they reacted to the adversity today.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, followed to the line by Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin rounded out the top-five finishers.
-Ken Schrader will return to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Racing in two weeks at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 47 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford. Teammate Jon Wood will be making his debut and first start in the No. 21 Air Force Ford Fusion.
-Ken Schrader will participate in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Car of Tomorrow Test at the Bristol Motor Speedway this week on Wednesday and Thursday before heading to Montana for some snowmobiling fun.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – UAW-GM 500
When – Sunday, March 11th, 3:00 p.m. ET
Where – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Network – FOX Network; MRN Radio Network