SCHRADER AT COLUMBUS

USAC MEDIA RELEASE                              




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                           JANUARY 16, 2006

Contact: DICK JORDAN/MICHAEL HARKER                                                                                                          07-4

 

 

SCHRADER RETURNS TO USAC COMPETITION AT COLUMBUS

AFTER 11-YEAR LAYOFF!

 

 

            It's hard to believe that it's been 11 years since Ken Schrader competed in a USAC race! The 1982 USAC Silver Crown and 1983 USAC National Sprint Car Champion plans to race this Saturday in the Inaugural "Rumble in the Buckeye State" indoor Midget race at the Ohio State Fairgrounds Expo Coliseum in Columbus.

 

            Schrader, of Fenton, Mo., has been competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series since 1985 and his last USAC foray was exactly 11 years ago (Jan. 20, 1996) in the Seymour Enterprises Midget at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis in 1996. Although he never won USAC's National Midget title, he finished third in the 1982 and 1983 standings. He owns 21 National Midget feature victories, including the inaugural "4-Crown Nationals" a pair of wins in the "Copper World Classic" and one in the "Night Before the 500" classic. He also claimed six Silver Crown, four Sprint Car and two Stock Car victories during his USAC career.

 

            Ken's been running circles since he was three when his dad tied a cable from a go-kart to a post in the backyard! In addition to his full Cup slate, he has also operated his own team in the NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series. A winner of four Cup races during his NASCAR career, he is slated to drive the famed Wood Brothers #21 this season.

 

            This Saturday Ken will pilot the #7 C & A Kenyon Midget at Columbus. Kevin Besecker, who won the 1999 "Thunder in the Dome" Midget race in Indianapolis, will serve as Kenny's crew chief. The car posted a pair of feature victories at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway in 2006, driven by Caleb Armstrong, son of car owner Craig Armstrong.

 

            Saturday will be "Ken Schrader Day" in Columbus and he is expected to be available during an autograph session in the Ohio Building Fan Fair next to the Coliseum.

 

            "I always look forward to racing the Midgets," says Schrader. "I hear Columbus is a small oval but I also know the promoter has always been good at building two grooves for his races. The racing is always intense indoors and I've had a lot of fun racing with USAC. It's been three years since my last indoor appearance (Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Okla. In 2004) but I've had some indoor success in the past. I'm excited." Schrader won twice in USAC indoor competition, in 1986 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago and in 1988 at the Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

 

            Trade Show, vendor, entry, and ticket information for the event is available at tbracefest@aol.com, or by calling (614) 330-4055. Tickets are $21.00 for adult reserved seats, and $18.00 for general admission. Kids 12 and under are $10. Pit passes may be purchased by fans also for $30 on the move in and race days. Kids are allowed.

 

 

 

 

--USAC--