NASCAR WCUP: Ken Schrader prepares for short track racing at Martinsville
6 April 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
|
"We got behind the eight ball early at Texas because we had a cut left rear tire that was slowly going down. We had to come in and pit under green and went a lap down. We never made the lap back up, but we kept our nose clean the rest of the race and it paid off for us. We were as far back as 40th after our unscheduled stop, but we ran hard all-day and ended up finishing 18th. I think we also picked up a spot or two in the point standings, which is always important.
"Martinsville isn't necessarily my favorite race track, but we usually run pretty good there. One of the keys at Martinsville, just like on any of the short tracks, is to qualify up front, which I've done pretty consistently. This place has changed a lot of the last couple of years, especially the single pit road. It takes away the advantage of pitting on the front stretch, but it makes for a long, slow trip down pit road."
Ken Schrader's Stats...
* "M&M's" Racing Team driver Ken Schrader must like racing at Martinsville Speedway in the spring. In 15 full years of competition, Schrader has made 15 starts at Martinsville in the spring, finishing in the top 10 an impressive 11 times. The "M&M's" driver has a total of 17 top 10s at the Virginia track.
* The "M&M's" Racing Team has a strong record at the .5-mile oval in Martinsville. The team's Martinsville highlight is winning the pole position in the fall of 1998 and qualifying seventh last spring. The "M&M's" Team has made a total of six starts at the track, collecting two top-five finishes. Their strongest run to date was an eighth-place finish in 1998 after starting from the pole position.
* Away from his responsibilities with the "M&M's" Racing Team, Ken Schrader promotes I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., with longtime friend and business partner Ray Marler. The track had its opening night Saturday, April 1, while the Winston Cup Series was in Texas. Schrader said it was one of the best opening nights for the track since his involvement, but his Winston Cup sponsor wasn't left out of the mix. "M&M's" Chocolate Candies owns a billboard at the 1/3 mile dirt oval.
Text provided by Laura McCullars
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