"SEMI-RETIRED" SCHRADER HAVING TIME OF HIS LIFE IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
VETERAN RACER THE MOST EXPERIENCED IN SATURDAY'S RACE AT DARLINGTON ON SPEED™; COULD BECOME FOURTH WINNER FOR KHI IN 2010
SCHRADER INTERESTED IN MIXING FULL TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE WITH DIRT RACING VENTURE
Schrader: "When (Harvick) hired me, he said he wanted me to run his truck at Kansas - I thought he wanted me to drive the hauler."
Don't let that smile on Ken Schrader's face fool you …
He would love to be back in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fulltime, but since that isn't an imminent option, Schrader welcomes the opportunity for a full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule to complement his weekly dirt racing.
In the meantime, the veteran racer finds himself back behind the wheel of the No. 2 Stubb's Legendary Bar-B-Q/Kroger Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc. in Saturday's Truck Series race at Darlington Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET live on SPEED; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 7 p.m. ET), the series' first stop there following a five-year hiatus. Schrader has four previous starts for KHI this year, all of which have netted him a top-10 finish.
With 55 starts at Darlington in NASCAR's top three divisions, Schrader is the most experienced at the egg-shaped oval of those entered in the Truck race, followed by Todd Bodine with 37. Furthermore, Schrader's three Truck starts all resulted in top-10 days and his best overall Darlington finish was a runner-up effort in the 2001 Truck Series event.
Piloting a truck that owner Kevin Harvick took to Victory Lane at Atlanta in March and Elliott Sadler triumphed with in the inaugural race at Pocono last month, Schrader could become the third KHI driver to win in the No. 2 this season (Hornaday has one win in the No. 33). He should surpass the 14,500-lap mark at the "Track Too Tough to Tame" this weekend and thinks those countless miles could give him the proverbial leg up on some of the competition.
"I would prefer the old pavement of Darlington but Darlington is still Darlington regardless," Schrader said. "Some of our experience in the past is definitely going to help there, but a lot of the guys have been there before, and a lot of the young kids, although they haven't been there, are driving for good teams and know what they're doing, so they'll pick it up quickly. I'll still take some previous laps there that I don't think will hurt us none."
Schrader says Richard Childress Racing rookie Austin Dilllon could pose the biggest threat from the younger crop of drivers.
"Since Austin has been going there since he was born, he has watched as many laps there as I've driven," Schrader recounted. "He knows what you have to do where. Someone like Austin with a tremendous amount of talent and good equipment - like a lot of other teams - he will pick it up quick."
Understanding the race track at Darlington is paramount not just to success but to mere survival. Schrader remembers several painful lessons the "Lady in Black" taught him over the years, but one in particular stands out as the toughest to learn.
"In 1989 or 1990, I caused a big wreck going into (what was) turn three at the time before they switched straightaways," Schrader recalled. "I cut up in front of Alan Kulwicki - thought I had him clear but didn't - and tore up a bunch of us. Felt like an idiot when you know it was a mistake you made. There was no way around it - you just plain messed up. But you have to get your vehicle handling good and worry about going around there as fast as you can - not worry about anybody else until it gets time. If you worry about everybody else, you'll run into the damn wall all by yourself."
But whether smacking the wall or winning, Schrader always had a good time as a fulltime NASCAR driver and has fed that affinity for racing by trotting all over the country with his dirt car the past few years. In 2010 alone, Schrader has run 51 dirt races and won 12 times, and is having every bit as much fun as he appears to be.
"If I wasn't having so much fun, it would be a lot simpler around the shop and I wouldn't always be trying to hustle sponsors and keep names on those cars," Schrader said of his dirt racing effort. "We've been lucky that Federated Auto Parts has been there 11 years now. If I wasn't having as much fun, I wouldn't have to worry about all this stuff. I'm having as much fun going to the races as I had when I first started."
But while he relishes his time on the dirt, Schrader has made no secret of the fact he'd like to be back in a truck fulltime with the right opportunity. So, would powerhouse KHI be on his short list?
"KHI would be a perfect fit for me … I don't know about for KHI," Schrader laughed. "That's very good equipment. When (Harvick) hired me, he said he wanted me to run his truck at Kansas - I thought he wanted me to drive the hauler. I love running my short track car but with the Truck schedule, you still could run the short track car a lot and that would be perfect."
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