AUTO CLUB 500 - CALIFORNIA REPORT

 

“It was loose, just loose, loose, loose all day,” said Ken Schrader, driver of the #21 Little Debbie Snacks Ford Fusion, following Sunday’s 28th place finish in the 500-mile event at California Speedway. 

 

The Wood Brothers Racing team started in a deficit when the team’s “bonsai” laps in qualifying trim were lost due to an accident that occurred minutes before practice was scheduled to end.  The crew was forced to guess at the qualifying set up.  It didn’t work, and when Schrader pushed the car for speed it bottomed out and shot up the racetrack. 

 

He ended up 41st on the starting grid.  Ken did gain 10 spots before reporting the car was over heating on lap 60.  The team spotted a piece of plastic on the grille and the driver maneuvered his Fusion close enough to the rear of Elliott Sadler’s car to pull it off.

 

When the temperatures dropped Schrader moved up four more spots before being lapped by the leader.

 

Crew Chief David Hyder attempted to tighten up the ill-handling car with numerous adjustments on every pit stop.  In addition, as Schrader was heading to pit road for a green flag pit stop just past the mid-way point a left front tire went flat.

 

Finally, with 35 laps left in the race, NASCAR allowed the team to lift the hood and adjust the right front, but by then Ken was two laps down with no hope of overcoming the lost laps.  He did move up from 33rd to finish 28th.   “It wasn’t pretty, but it could have been worse,” Schrader said before leaving the track. 

 

Matt Kenseth made it an all Roush weekend by taking the victory over Jimmie Johnson and Roush teammate Carl Edwards.  Mark Martin won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night, and Greg Biffle took home the honors in the Busch race on Saturday.

 

After the second race of the season, Jimmie Johnson leads the points.  Ken lost seven spots this week, and is now listed 16th, only 42 out of the top ten.

 

Following a week off, NASCAR NEXEL Cup competitors travel to Las Vegas for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 12.  The race is scheduled to begin at 4:35 p.m., EST and will be televised live on FOX.  It will also be broadcast over the Performance Racing (radio) Network.

California Top-10

1. Matt Kenseth

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Carl Edwards

4. Kasey Kahne

5. Jeff Burton

6. Jamie McMurray

7. Casey Mears

8. J.J. Yeley

9. Mark Martin

10. Kyle bush

28. Ken Schrader

 

Points after California

• Jimmie Johnson    355
• Casey Mears         316
• Matt Kenseth         308
• Kasey Kahne         295
• Dale Earnhardt, Jr             287
• Mark Martin            275
• Ryan Newman       273
• Clint Bowyer          271
• Brian Vickers         260
• Elliott Sadler          259

16. Ken Schrader      217