Schrader Scores Top-10 Finish in First Outing for Kevin Harvick Inc.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 3, 2010) — For the first time in Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team history, two KHI trucks were piloted by drivers whose combined age was over 100. Fifty-four-year-old Ken Schrader climbed behind the wheel of the No. 2 KHI Shopezgo.com Chevrolet for the first time on Friday making practice laps and getting comfortable with the truck. The team set one goal: to keep the Owner’s Points lead. Schrader fought a loose-handling race truck throughout the day, but broke back into the top 10 late in the race to score a solid ninth-place finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.
“I really can’t thank Kevin, DeLana and the No. 2 guys enough,” Schrader said. “We had a really good truck; I was pleased with all the changes the crew made. I drove a pretty conservative race, just trying to stay out of everyone else’s mess. I’m not used to how hard you have to drive these trucks; I forgot how much fun it was. I am really thankful for the opportunity that KHI gave me today; we had a lot of fun and recorded another top-10 finish for the No. 2 and were able to keep the Owner’s Points lead. That was our goal.”
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 began, with Schrader’s KHI teammate Ron Hornaday leading the field to the green flag. Once the race began, Schrader immediately radioed crew chief Butch Hylton that the truck needed to be tighter, as the truck was snapping the back end when he drove through the corners. Under the first caution on lap seven, Schrader gave up the 15th position to come to pit road so the team could put a rubber in each rear spring, giving the spring a higher compression rate, thus tightening the handling of the truck. The team also made a track-bar adjustment.
Schrader restarted deep in the field in the 29th position on lap 14. A rash of quick cautions allowed the No. 2 Shopezgo.com team to use pit strategy and bring the truck back down pit road on lap 28 to top off with fuel in case the race came down to fuel mileage in the end. By lap 30, Schrader had moved back into the top 10.
Continuing to struggle with a loose truck, the team made their first scheduled green-flag pit stop of the day on lap 90 coming in for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. The adjustment helped Schrader’s truck as he was able to move into the sixth position, when the caution flag waved on lap 96.
With rain looming in the distance, the No. 2 team decided not to come back to pit road, trying to gain as much track position as possible before the storm hit. On lap 111, the caution waved for rain, with a red flag to follow at lap 114 for a brief downpour. An hour later the race restarted with Schrader running in the seventh position.
The No. 2 team came down pit road for the final time for four tires and fuel when the race resumed under yellow flag conditions. A quick pit stop gained Schrader three positions off pit road; however, with several trucks choosing to remain on the track, Schrader still restarted the race in the seventh position. Mired back in a large pack for the restart, the unstable air caused Schrader to be extremely loose. Schrader raced Austin Dillion, Mike Skinner and David Starr for a spot inside the top 10 as the laps wound down. When the checkered flag flew, Schrader managed to hold on for a ninth-place finish.
Johnny Sauter won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 as Schrader’s KHI teammate Ron Hornaday finished second followed by Todd Bodine, Brian Ickler and Johnny Benson. The No. 2 team continues to hold the lead in the Owner’s Points standings by nine points over the No. 18 team.
STATS RECAP
Race Info
May 2, 2010
Kansas Speedway
Race: 5 of 25
Driver: Ken Schrader
Started: 12th
Finished: 9th
Owner Point Standings: 1st
Race length: 167 Laps/200 Miles
Track layout: 1.5-mile
Shape: D-Shaped Oval
Next on the Truck Series Schedule:
Date: May 14, 2010
Track: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
Event Name: Dover 200
Broadcast Time: SPEED 8:00 p.m. ET (Tape Delayed)