Schrader Protects The Points At NHIS

16 September 2007 SCHRADER PROTECTS THE POINTS AT NHIS

The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship got officially underway on Sunday during the running of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, but it was just another day at the office for the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford and the Wood Brothers/JTG race team. After welcoming driver Ken Schrader back to the seat for the first time since May, the team managed to notch a 30th place finish for their weekend's effort. During Friday's qualifying session, Schrader put the car in the field in the 34th starting spot. Compounding the team's plans, however, was the rain that moved into the New England area on Saturday, drowning out both one-hour practice sessions.

Sunday was a bright and clear day, however, and the race got underway just past 2 p.m. Schrader jumped up the leader board three spots on the first lap to 31st place, before settling in for the 300-lap event. His first remarks about how the car was handling echoed a familiar refrain at the 1-mile flat track--the car was having difficulty rotating in the center of the corner. Schrader was able to hang on until NASCAR threw a mandatory caution flag on lap 35 for the purpose of checking tire wear--a common remedy for weekends where practice is cancelled. Crew chief Michael McSwain had a list of solutions waiting for Schrader for the chassis--but he first insisted that the 21 car stay out under caution while all the other teams pitted. In doing so, Schrader and the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford led lap 38 of the event, picking up five bonus points along the way. One lap later, he came down pit road for four tires, fuel, a track bar adjustment and the team put two rubbers in the right rear spring--all for the purpose of helping the car turn through the tight corners. Schrader restarted in 37th on the lap 40 restart.

All of the changes fixed the chassis as far as the entry into the corner, but Schrader continued to have problems with the front end of the car refusing to set correctly through the turns. The team got their second chance to make a change during a pit stop--this time air pressure adjustments to both rear tires, after a lap 66 caution for a one car incident. Schrader restarted 36th on the ensuing green flag run and the changes did seem to help as he passed two cars to go to 34th in the first 10 green flag laps. By lap 100, he had moved up to 33rd and radioed that the car was "obviously better", but still not perfect. He went a lap down to the leaders soon thereafter, but remained in the 33rd position for the extended green flag run. Now racing against several other cars also one lap down, Schrader made up another two positions to 31st by lap 135 of the 300-lap event.

Schrader returned to pit road for a regularly scheduled green flag pit stop on lap 142, where he received four fresh tires and fuel before heading back out onto the track. Crew chief Michael McSwain worked some strategy out of the next caution flag, which waved on lap 148 for debris. Noting only eight other cars on the same lap--most of whom stayed out under yellow, McSwain brought the No. 21 car down pit road to gain the advantage of having four fresh tires on the nearest competition. When it all shook out, the team gave up only two spots to 32nd on the lap 153 restart with a clear advantage on the other one-lap down cars. At this point in the race, the team had been holding on to its position in the owner points, as they were outrunning the No. 22 car of Dave Blaney. It was Blaney that brought out the fourth caution flag of the day as he looped his car in turns one and two and making contact with the wall on lap 164. Schrader pitted for four tires and restarted 33rd on lap 168.

Things got a little interesting as the field roared into turn three. The No. 41 car of Reed Sorensen spun and Schrader got tapped from behind as he slowed to miss the spinning car on the high side. He took a hard left hand turn into the infield grass and the front splitter dug into the grass, but fortunately for the team, the car had no damage whatsoever. The 21 car came down pit road to change all four tires and clean the front valance of the car, then returned to action on the lap 173 restart from the 34th spot in the field. The No. 22 car was right behind him on the restart in 35th. Fifteen laps later, Blaney once again looped his No. 22 car in the same spot on the racetrack--bringing out the seventh caution flag of the day. No teams pitted and the race was back underway on lap 192 after three yellow flag laps.

Over the next 100 laps, Schrader was pushing the car to its limits with one goal in mind--keep the No. 22 car behind him. His lap times had improved to some of the best on the day thanks to the changes McSwain made at the mid-race point. He hovered between 31st and 33rd place, but always mindful of the three to four second lead he held on Blaney, still in his rear view mirror. The team made its last regularly scheduled pit stop on lap 252 of the 300-lap race. The team elected to put scuffed tires on the car to assist the handling in the corners. The car wasn't perfect, but Schrader held serve and kept not only the No. 22 car of Dave Blaney behind him, but also bested the No. 45 car of Kyle Petty. Blaney ended up 35th and Petty was 37th in the final run down. The Wood Brothers/JTG team is gaining ground on its pursuers and reeling in the teams just in front of them. For the time being, it's all about the points--the 21 team's own version of the Chase.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY Ken Schrader, driver of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford: "The car was a handful at the beginning of the race, but we were able to adjust on it and got some things done to help it. It's always a struggle to turn in the middle of the corner here at Loudon. I'm pretty satisfied that we were able to stay ahead of the 22 and the 45. That's our focus for right now. We just have to keep building on it as we go on week to week."

Michael McSwain, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford: "We kind of pulled out all the stops in working on this car all day on pit road. We were lucky to get as many chances as we got to do all of it--but we did air pressure, spring rubbers, track bar--you name it, we tried it. Schrader drove a great race for us and he really stepped it up to stay ahead of our competition today. We've got to keep doing our best each week to the finish."

FAST & FUN FACTS: -Ken Schrader drove the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford to a 30th place finish in the Sylvania 300 event at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sunday. -Clint Bowyer won the event, followed to the line by Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. rounded out the top-five finishers on the day.

NEXT RACE INFORMATION: What -- Dodge Dealers 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Event When -- Sunday, September 23rd, 2007; 1:30 p.m. EDT Where -- Dover International Speedway; 300 laps, 300 miles Network -- ABC Television Network; MRN Radio Network

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Jeffrey Cheatham, PR -- Wood Brothers/JTG Racing (704) 658-6098