CHICAGOLAND JUST GETS BETTER WITH AGE

 

Ken Schrader - #21 – Little Debbie Ford Fusion, answers his fan’s questions regarding Chicagoland, the type of racecar he prefers to drive, composite body racecars and drag racing.

 

Kenny - several of the mile and halfers seem to be very similar. What are your thoughts on Chicagoland, its similarities to, say Kansas City, and its differences. And, how will those differences, if any, affect how you run the race?  “Basically there are several that are almost the same – Vegas, Chicago and Kansas City for sure.  Actually you have to adjust a little for each one and then you just get it dialed in from there and then tweak on it a little bit.”

Do you see any improvement in multi-groove racing at Chicagoland?  “The answer is, yes, and that goes for all those tracks.  New pavement doesn’t make for good racing the first time, but when they age and get rubber laid down and take some of the grip away.  When you’ve got a tremendous amount of grip you can run faster, but you can’t go any place.  As it ages you can move around more on the racetrack, so yes, they’ve all gotten better as they’ve aged.”     

 

Kenny, do you prefer a loose, neutral or tight car? It seems like all the young drivers are driving looser cars than ever to go fast. Which do you prefer?  “The cars we’ve got are looser because NASCAR has taken a lot of blade off them.”  (Laughing) I would prefer my cars to be perfect.”  And what would be perfect for you?  “If it wasn’t too loose or too tight, that would be perfect,”

 

How many composite body racecars does KSR have? I saw you were racing one in the West series race in Sonoma. Are they the true money saver TV claims they are and are they the future of racing?  “They are going to wind up being cheaper for the Grand National East and Grand National West Series.  It is going to cost a little bit to switch over.  I think for a while you should be able to run either a steel body car or a composite.  They are quicker and easier to fix than the steel body cars.  You just buy pieces to replace an area that is damaged.  Take the one off and put the new one on.  It’s a lot simpler and quicker and easier.  It’s not fiberglass like the old days with all the rosin and stuff.”

 

Kenny, have you ever had any interest in straight-line racing like drag racing, mud racing, or sand drags?  “No, not really.  I know it would be simpler, but I’d rather turn left.”