SCHRADER FINISHES 26TH IN CHARLOTTE; STAYS 30TH IN POINTS

 

A difficult car and a tire issue were the story of Ken Schrader’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Sunday.  Schrader’s US Air Force Ford never ran to his and the team’s satisfaction the entire length of the 600-mile event.  Then, when he came into pit under green on lap 291, the right front tire did not meet NASCAR’s air pressure specifications. The team was forced to retrieve a second right front from behind the wall and have that one checked before it could be mounted on the car. 

 

The lengthy stop cost Schrader a lap on the track, and before the night was over Ken was three laps behind the leaders. 

 

“I think we were lucky to finish 26th with everything that went on tonight,” was the driver’s brief comment following the Coca-Cola 600. 

 

The 600 is a difficult race for several reasons.  It is the longest event on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series 36-race schedule, and it starts during the heat of the day and goes well after dark, forcing teams to adjust to differing air and track temperatures as the race progresses.  And, with day-time temperatures well into the 90’s Sunday in Charlotte it made for a difficult day.

 

What Ken had experienced during practice and qualifying was magnified during the race.  After completing his qualifying run Thursday night he said, “We’ve been fighting, everybody has, getting tight in the center but you’re free in and free off.  Even though the front won’t turn the back end is wanting to step out.  We’ve got new pavement and real hard tires, so it’s gonna be exciting.”  Even though Ken was able to pick up almost a second on his practice speeds the team’s early qualifying draw (third) put the them at a huge disadvantage.  As temperatures dropped times also dropped and Schrader ended up 40th on the starting grid for Sunday.

 

At the beginning of the race Schrader requested major adjustments saying, “Do as much as you can – it’s terrible.”  Crew Chief David Hyder directed the crew to make air pressure, track bar, spring and jack bolt adjustments on various stops.  NASCAR had mandated smaller fuel cells for this event, reducing the size some eight gallons. That rule gave the team numerous opportunities to make changes, but in the end it didn’t help much.

 

Kasey Kahne won the event by almost two seconds over Jimmie Johnson.  Carl Edwards was third.  Johnson leads the season point standings going into next week’s race at Dover.  Ken stayed 30th in the points.

 

The Neighborhood Excellence 400 on June 4 in Dover, Delaware will be the 13th event for the Nextel Cup Series cars.  FX will carry the race live with coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m.  The event will also be broadcast live over the Motor Racing Network of radio affiliates.

 

Charlotte top-ten

              1.           Kasey Kahne

              2.           Jimmie Johnson

              3.           Carl Edwards

              4.           Mark Martin

              5.           Matt Kenseth

              6.           Jeff Burton

              7.           Greg Biffle

              8.           Jamie McMurray

              9.           Denny Hamlin

              10.         Reed Sorenson

              26.         Ken Schrader

 

Points after Charlotte

              1            Jimmie Johnson           1861                                

              2            Matt Kenseth                 1752    

              3            Mark Martin                    1652    

              4            Tony Stewart                  1630    

              5            Dale Earnhardt Jr.        1590    

              6            Kasey Kahne                 1569    

              7            Jeff Gordon                    1451    

              8            Jeff Burton                      1450    

              9            Kyle Busch                     1437    

              10          Kevin Harvick                1426    

              30          Ken Schrader                1067