Ken Schrader Notes & Quotes: Richmond 400
Building tracks that resemble Richmond: ‘Why not?’
Ken Schrader and the #49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge team head to the .750-mile Richmond (Va.) International Raceway this week for Saturday night’s Richmond 400; the second of three Saturday night races in a row and the 11th race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.
The thoughts of Schwan’s Home Service Dodge driver Ken Schrader heading into Richmond:
“There was a time when everyone pointed to Charlotte and said, ‘We need more tracks like that.’ So, we had a boom of 1.5-mile ovals that closely resemble one another. They don’t all drive alike, but to sit in the stands or watch on TV, they look almost identical. That’s probably one of the reasons we run so many 1.5-milers on the circuit today.
“But, now a lot of people seem to think that Richmond is the best track or venue on the circuit. Even in NASCAR’s expansion efforts, you hear a lot about building a new track that resembles Richmond… and why not? Richmond’s one of the best tracks we run. It’s wide, smooth, and multi grooved; there’s plenty of room to race. Believe it or not, most of us like it when we don’t have to run all over each other in order to pass. Now, that’s not to say we never run into anybody at Richmond, but usually there is enough room to get around people.
“It doesn’t matter what they do at Richmond - change the configuration, repave the surface, whatever - the track always manages to produce side-by-side racing. Obviously the first race or two when you repave a track, it’s (the racing) not going to be as good, but it didn’t take that place long to get back to where it was. The Sawyer family always made sure the place was second to none for the drivers as well as the fans, and ISC has kept up that tradition. That’s why Richmond is one of the most fan-friendly tracks on the circuit.
“For most of us, there’s nothing better than Saturday night short-track racing. It’s what a lot of us grew up doing so, it’s nice to get that feeling when we strap into the car on Saturday night. The lights are on, the stands are full, I don’t care how many times you do it, that feeling’s pretty cool. We’ll definitely get our fill of night racing in May. First at Darlington, now at Richmond, then we head to Charlotte for two more weeks of night racing. If you’re a fan of racing under the lights, you’re loving the month of May.
“This is a pretty exciting month for the entire Schwan’s Home Service team. Obviously, running well makes it a lot more fun, and we’ve been more competitive over the past few weeks, really all season, than we have been before. The Schwan’s pit crew will have its chance to shine with a couple of pit crew competitions that we’re participating in here in the next few weeks. That’s pretty neat for those guys, because they’re such an important part of how we do on race day, but a lot of times they don’t get the recognition that they deserve.
“If everything goes according to plan, come June we’ll all feel pretty good about what we have accomplished with this Schwan’s Home Service team; driver, crew, sponsors and owners, everybody working together. It’s definitely an exciting time of the year and I can’t think of a better place to be racing on Saturday night than at Richmond.”
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