KEN SCHRADER ON 2007: “I wouldn’t want to be walking around the garage area looking for a team to run 36 and leaving what we’ve got working here.”
Ken Schrader, driver of the #21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion will be making his 700th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start this week at Martinsville. The racing veteran answers fan questions regarding Martinsville, two-tire gamble, and running a partial season in 2007.
Where would you prefer to pit at Martinsville? “The end of pit road – the far end – the turn one end. And usually when you pit there you had quick time so it’s a real good place to pit.”
When do you bump & run? “It depends on who you are. Some guys think it’s pretty good all the time. Some guys do it on the last lap. It just depends. Different guys are different about it.”
Would you use the same car you used in the Bristol spring race? “No. The Bristol car and Martinsville car are a little bit different. The Bristol car the suspension travels so much, and you don’t need that at Martinsville.”
Is there another track where you would use the Martinsville car? “No. You might take it to Phoenix, Loudon or Richmond as the back-up, but you would never intentionally use it at any other track.”
Would you chose to gamble on 2 tires & fuel for track position? “A lot of times you will try two tires in practice, or you would try it early in the race to see how it works for you and then decide toward the end what you want to do. With the tires Goodyear has been bringing, two tires have worked at some places. At Talladega we might have finished the race by taking no tires on the last pit stop, just fuel. The tires were that good.”
What strategies do you use at short tracks? “There aren’t a lot of strategies you use as a driver. Fatback and the guys have got to do some of that as far as pit strategy and stuff. You just try to go as fast as you can. We aren’t that darn smart to make it that complicated.
Some of your best finishes come on short-tracks; what makes you excel at these tracks? Some of our best finishes have been at Richmond, Bristol and Martinsville the past couple of years, but we just had a good handle on those cars and some of the places the bodies weren’t quite as important and the motors could be off a little bit so it kind of fell to us as a little more of an equalizer.
Does your dirt racing experience help at short-tracks? I think dirt experience doesn’t hurt you any place, but I don’t think it really helps you.”
Some of your best runs these last few years have come at Martinsville. Do you prefer racing at the nostalgic Martinsville, over say, California, Atlanta or any of the other cookie cutter tracks? “Martinsville is neat. It is neat. It’s fun to go to. It is very aggravating some sometimes. You can’t just move up and pass someone like you can at some of the other tracks. I don’t see where the other tracks are cookie cutter though. Just because it is a mile and a half doesn’t mean it is the same. Atlanta and Charlotte sure aren’t alike and Chicago and Kansas City aren’t alike. The reason people built them is because you can put a good number of grandstands around them and run other types of cars there. I do not prefer them by any means. I don’t especially like them or dislike them better than any other ones. Just wherever we’re going that week is the track I like that week. It doesn’t make any difference.”
Now that you and Fatback have solidified yourselves as a top 20 team, how do you feel about having to share the seat with Jon next year? “I’d rather be running 36 races, but I knew this was a possibility going in. I wouldn’t want to be walking around the garage area looking for a team to run 36 and leaving what we’ve got working here. This is a young man’s sport and we’ve been here a long time. It is just inevitable that it is going to happen, and I’m just happy to have lined up what we’ve got lined up for next year.”
Ken Schrader Career |
Starts
699
|
Poles
23 |
Wins
4 |
Top 5's
64 |
Top 10's
184 |
Wood Brothers Career |
Starts
1266 |
Poles
119 |
Wins
97 |
Top 5's
336 |
Top 10's
516 |
Schrader
at Martinsville
|
Starts
43
|
Poles
0 |
Wins
0 |
Top 5's
1 |
Top 10's
18 |
Wood Brothers at Bristol
|
Starts
104 |
Poles
9 |
Wins
2* |
Top 5's
27 |
Top 10's
41 |
