Talladega Advance -- Fan Questions Answered

 

KEN SCHRADER ON THE BIG ONE:  “You’re either in it or you’re not.”

 

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competitors go to the second of four restrictor plate races at Talladega this coming weekend.  Ken Schrader, #21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion answers the fan’s questions about restrictor plate racing, getting through the “big one”, race tactics, and bumpers.

 

What do you think of the Wood Brothers restrictor plate racing program?  “All we can do is gage off of how they ran last year, which was good, and then judge off what we did at Daytona and that was good.  It is a good program.  It is only four races a year.  It is not like they have a whole development team like some of the other teams do, but it is definitely a good program.”

The "big one" or major wreck seems to happen every race Talladega – is it luck; is it talent; is it help from the spotter that gets you past/around it?  “You’re either in it or you’re not.  When it starts happening there is either going to be a hole for you or a way you can wiggle through, but more than likely if its not there you can’t just make a hole.  Its not like you can cut left or cut right and cut left that quick and miss it at those speeds.  You either miss it or you don’t.”

During plate races it seems you and Dale Jarrett usually drop to the back of the pack and ride around together, and then work your way up towards the front about the same time. Do you and Dale talk about this ahead of time or is it just a coincidence that this seems to be occurring.  “No, we don’t really plan it.  There’s quite a group that’s been going back lately.  We didn’t go back there the whole 500.  We were just there part of the way.  And, if you’re just at the back of the group that just means when it happens, you’ve absolutely got no options because there are so many cars laying in front of you so you can only go to the back a little ways.”

Do you think that one day NASCAR will find a new way to control speed at Talladega & Daytona that won't involve restrictor plates?  “There are a lot of different ways that they could do it, but restrictor plates make the most sense economically.  You could run smaller engines that make less horsepower, but then you would be talking about different engines just for four races.  That wouldn’t make any sense at all.  The restrictor plate is about as good a way as you can come up with.  It works fine.

Would you rather race at the short tracks or the big restrictor plates?  “I really love going to Daytona.  It really doesn’t make that much difference.  Wherever you are racing that weekend is fine.  I don’t mind the restrictor plate races.  They’re fun.

Will the newly designed bumpers by NASCAR reduce the slam drafting or "bump drafting?  "They are going to limit it some by taking those bumpers off so that’s going to make a big difference.  I believe it will be a good thing.”