SCHRADER FINISHES 16TH AT PHOENIX

GAINS THREE POSITIONS IN THE POINT STANDINGS

Saturday night’s race at Phoenix International Raceway had its rewards for Ken Schrader and his #21 Motorcraft Genuine Parts Ford Fusion team.  Schrader’s 16th place finish gave the team another leg up on the learning curve.

 

Faced with a few setbacks following a top-ten finish in the first event of the season, Wood Brothers Racing appears to be on the road to improvement.  Coming into the garage area following the race Ken told his crew, “We’re getting close.  We’re hitting all around it, and tonight was a heck of a recovery from where we were yesterday.”

 

When he got out of the car Schrader added,  “We were too screwed up Friday and made wholesale changes and got us closer, but didn’t get to where it needed to be, and couldn’t pull a rubber out of the right-rear to get it where we wanted it, but we hung in there.”

 

Co-owner Len Wood told a reporter early Saturday afternoon that this car was the one the team tested at Richmond and it had been good in the test, “but this isn’t Richmond, and we’re not quite where we want to be.”

 

Thursday’s practice put Ken 31st on the speed chart and qualifying resulted in a 27th place starting spot for the race.

 

“I didn’t get the lap I wanted (in qualifying). We’ll just have to see. It feels pretty good, we just have to do some tweaking on it.”

 

Friday’s adjustments took the car backwards and Schrader’s fastest lap during happy hour was only good enough for 30th on the list.

 

The crew never gave up on adjustments and the driver never gave up on the track.  The pit crew hung in there too servicing the car in 13 seconds flat on one stop and 12.7 seconds on another.  And, a savvy fuel mileage calculation all combined to produce the 16th place finish.

 

Kevin Harvick came out the winner, producing the first “double” of the 2006 season.  He also won the Busch event on Friday evening.

 

Matt Kenseth took over the lead in the point standings by nine markers ahead of Jimmie Johnson.  Ken moved up three spots from 30th to 27th, and is only 84 out of the top 20. 

 

NOTE: Wood Brothers Glen and Leonard Wood were inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in Portsmouth, Va., Saturday night. Leonard accepted the honor for the both of them. Glen was unable to attend; he is currently recovering at home in Stuart, Va., following hip-replacement surgery last week.

 

 

 

 

Next Race:       AARON’S 499 (188 laps – 500 miles)

                            Talladega Superspeedway (2.66 – mile high-banked oval)

                            Talladega, Alabama

Date:                   Sunday, April 30

Start Time:       2:10 p.m. EDT

Television:        FOX

Radio:                 MRN

 

Phoenix top – 10

16.       Ken Schrader

 

Points after Phoenix

27.         Ken Schrader                      712