SCHRADER READY FOR THE DUEL AND THE 500

Ken Schrader and the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion are ready to make his 45th start at the Daytona International Speedway during Sunday’s running of the 49th Daytona 500, the Great American Race. It’s been a busy past weekend for the 51-year old Fenton, Missouri-native and one that has seen flashes of on-track success. During last Saturday night’s Bud Shootout, Schrader drew the 7th starting position, worked his way up to the second spot halfway through the event, then settled for an 11th place finish. Schrader was so impressed with how the car drove, he bemoaned the fact that it would be sitting in the truck as a backup this week.

Schrader was only able to post the 48th fastest time in Sunday’s qualifying session in the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion, but don’t count him among the worried drivers in the garage. Based on the team’s points finish last season, they are locked into the Daytona 500 despite how he finishes in Thursday’s Gatorade Duel. Schrader is set to start 25th of 31 cars in the first Gatorade Duel, set to roll off the grid at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, televised live on the Speed Channel.

Schrader probably has a soft spot for the 2.5-mile superspeedway, with some of his best and recent finishes coming at the famed high-banked tri-oval. Schrader has an all time best second place finish in the Daytona 500, coming in 1989, the same year he won his first Bud Shootout victory the week prior—then known as the Busch Clash. In 2006, two of his top-three best finishes both occurred here, a ninth in the 500 and a 12th in the July Daytona event.

The No. 21 Little Debbie team is bringing out chassis 82 as the primary steed for this big event and chassis 67 is slated for backup duty if necessary.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Ken Schrader, driver of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion:
“I think the Duels are going to be a little hectic, but I’d like to nail down a starting spot in the 500 as close to the front as I can. We just have to keep our head on straight and run our race and get ready for Sunday. That’s what pays the points and the money so there is a little bit of the ‘big picture’ going on in our minds.

“Other than that, I think we’ve got a pretty decent car for handling in traffic. The shootout car did great and if this one performs in a similar fashion, I don’t think I’ll have too many worries. I’m just very pleased to be down here again in Daytona, kicking off another year with the Wood Brothers/JTG team and Little Debbie.”

Ernie Cope, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion:
“I’d say things have gone pretty smooth for us compared to some others, so we’ve been pretty fortunate so far. There are always so many story lines down here. You just have to keep focused and it’s easy to do when you have a crew like mine and the leadership of this organization. I think we’ve got a good enough car to get through the Duel and make a great showing in the Daytona 500. The only thing we can’t control is luck, but it’s been pretty good so far.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Ken Schrader has led 298 laps at Daytona International Speedway, with an average start of 18th and an average finish of 17th in 44 career starts. He has seven top-fives and 22 top-10 finishes.
-Little Debbie is back for their second straight year of sponsorship for the No. 21 team. Associate sponsors Motorcraft and Air Force are back for their seventh straight year with WBJTG Racing.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – Daytona 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race
When – Sunday, February 18th, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where – Daytona International Speedway
Network – FOX