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Each week Ken Schrader, driver of the Little Debbie Ford Fusion, answers questions from his fans. This week Schrader’s fans ask about racing under the lights, racing on concrete, Michael “Fatback” McSwain as a crew chief and the possibility of joining Wood Brothers Racing and BAM.
If Dover ran at night would the racing be the same as during the day? “The racing is no different if it is day or night except you see the lights and the sparks. You run the race the same. The day or night doesn’t really affect the race.”
What is the difference between asphalt and concrete (Dover)? You seem to prefer asphalt over concrete. “When they first concreted Dover it was terrible. There was one groove around the bottom and if you got out of it you would either wreck or back up. Then they ground it for the IRL cars, and it widened it out. I do not like concrete. Concrete is for driving big trucks on to get to the track. Then you race on asphalt or dirt. Concrete is not for race cars.” Why? “Concrete is rough. You bounce so much the tires aren’t on the track enough to have much control. Those tracks are rough.”
What makes McSwain such a great crew chief? “He’s just got a lot of experience. I’ve only worked with him for seven or eight races, but he is a pretty good little cheerleader from the box. He’ll let you know real quick when you’ve messed up, and he’s patting you on the back when you do well. He is a good motivator.”
It seems like partnering with BAM and moving them to the Ford camp would make sense. Hyder heads over there, Jon needs some seat time next year and Ford needs some teams period. I know that the Woods would prefer getting him in a second car, but the 49 would be a better option than splitting time in the 21. Your thoughts? “We need to partner with the car of the team that is parked ten feet away in our shop. That is who we need to partner with. Jon, when he runs Cup needs to be in a Wood Brothers entry, not another team’s entry. You don’t get the advantages of two teams hooking up unless they move in together and operate together. You have to have proper funding, and if the funding is available you run the car out of the Wood Brothers’ shop.”
Ken Schrader Career |
Starts
694
|
Poles
23 |
Wins
4 |
Top 5's
64 |
Top 10's
184 |
Wood Brothers Career |
Starts
1261 |
Poles
119 |
Wins
97 |
Top 5's
336 |
Top 10's
516 |
Schrader
at Dover
|
Starts
43
|
Poles
0 |
Wins
1 |
Top 5's
8 |
Top 10's
16 |
Wood Brothers at Dover
|
Starts
68 |
Poles
4 |
Wins
7 |
Top 5's
17 |
Top 10's
29 |
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