Ken Schrader on Truck Racing
His Sprint Cup Series days are coming to an end, but Ken Schrader still has plenty more races in the Camping World Truck Series to look forward to.
Schrader has had 732 Cup starts, although he hasn’t made a start in almost two years. His interest has been sparked by the Truck series, where he has been running part-time throughout the 2010 season. Schrader has been driving the No.2 Chevrolet owned by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, and has been considering switching to the NASCAR third tier series if the right opportunity presents itself.
"If I had the opportunity to run the full truck series [season], I'd jump on it in a heartbeat," he said. "I know I'm going to race, and I know I'm going to race a bunch. I just don't know where."
Schrader, 55, has been racing as often as five or six nights a week on dirt tracks around the country and though he has been absent from the Cup Series he clearly hasn’t lost his love for speed. The truck series has become an addiction for Schrader, who jumps at any chance to get behind the wheel.
Butch Hylton, crew chief for Schrader, admires the workaholic’s dedication to racing. "Kenny's like the consummate professional. He races two, three nights a week," Hylton said. "We always laugh because we look at his calendar when we're trying to get everything scheduled and he's like, 'I don't know. I'm in Macon, Ill., this weekend or I'm in Canada this weekend.' He just races a lot. So when he comes, he can get in the truck and he can make a few laps and he can go, 'OK, this is what I need.'"
Of the 52 times Schrader has raced his dirt car he has won the race 12 times. When he has taken the Havrick owned No.2 truck out he has earned finishes of 28th, ninth, fifth, and fourth. He has four career wins in the Cup series, but enjoys the more relaxed environment at the truck series as compared to the busy Cup racers where news reporters and 100,000 plus spectators show up to watch.
Schrader’s next race will be at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn. He is going to be behind the wheel of the same truck Elliott Sadler drove to Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway last weekend. Winning the Nashville 200 would be something special for Schrader, who hasn’t won a truck series event since 1995 in the series inaugural season.
“It'd be pretty cool. That'd really be neat," he contemplated. “To be able to win one right now, which we can in Kevin's and DeLana's equipment - we can definitely win one - that would be pretty cool, especially with no more of them than we run right now."
Schrader has races scheduled for Darlington, Las Vegas and Talladega. He admits that he needs more practice time with pavement racing but looks forward to working with Hylton and the rest of the team because they are all very supportive of him.
“I haven't been doing that much pavement racing this year so it took a little bit to get back in the hang of it, but working with Butch Hylton and everyone over at that team, that made it real easy," he said. "I'm looking at four more races in it, and I'm really looking forward to those."
On August 3 Schrader was named as one of the team instructors for Richard Petty’s Driver Search II. The race training camp is a one-of-a-kind experience that offers up-and-coming drivers the opportunity to learn from some of the best. Schrader earned the position thanks to his 30th season with NASCAR Sprint Cup series and for being one of the most well liked and respected racers out there. Marcos Ambrose is also instructing.
“We’re glad to have Kenny on board,” said Petty. “These drivers are really gonna like him. More importantly, though, they’re really gonna learn from him.”
Schrader was Rookie of the Year in 1985, has 64 top five finishes in Cup races and 184 top 10 finishes. More than his statistics Schrader is considered amongst fans and racers as one of the most dedicated racers.
The training camp is designed specifically for aspiring race car drivers hoping to make advancements in their careers. The competition will take place September 13-16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord Speedway in North Carolina, and at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw in South Carolina.
The winner of the Driver Search will receive a place in the American 200. The ARCA Racing Series event will take place on October 9th.
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