Subway 500 - Ken Schrader Notes

Ken Schrader Notes, Quotes: Subway 500
Carrying momentum into Martinsville

Returning to a speedway where he drove one of the cars to beat this Spring, Ken Schrader and the #49 BAM Racing Dodge head to the .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this week for Sunday’s Subway 500.

Beth Ann Morgenthau, whose initials make up the name of the #49 Dodge team, owns the team, along with her husband, Tony. The Coral Gables, Fla., residents are successful investors who have fully funded the team for the complete 2003 season run. Having built the BAM team from the ground up. Ms. Morgenthau is the only female in major league motorsports to start a team without becoming involved because of family connections.

Her driver, the 48-year-old Schrader, is a native of Fenton, Mo., and one of just a few active Winston Cup drivers to have won races on all types of speedways. The busiest driver in major league motorsports, Schrader is looking for a “100-night” season this year, and will continue a winning Winston Cup career that has seen him win over $20 million.

General manager Eddie Jones is a veteran of the NASCAR Winston Cup wars, enjoying a championship career as a crew chief, mechanic and team leader. Crew chief Scott Eggleston is one of the few active crew chiefs in the business to have won a Daytona 500. Business manager Gus Larkin is a successful veteran motorsports marketer, and is leading the corporate sponsorship activities.

The thoughts of #49 BAM Racing Dodge driver Ken Schrader heading into Martinsville:

“We walked away from Martinsville this past Spring feeling pretty good about what we ended up with but knowing, too, that we could have gotten a little more. We had a really good car there and I think we’re going to be just as good, if not better, this week.

“That Martinsville race this Spring was our first top 10 as a team, and that was a great feeling. We ran in the top five a good part of the race, but we ran a little conservatively towards the end. At the time, the thinking was ‘Let’s bring this thing home with a Top 10,’ which we did.

“Having that kind of run has to make you feel pretty good going back. We know we can run well at Martinsville. We have proven that. We have shown we can put a good enough car together and that it can hold up to the rigors of that particular speedway. And even thought it’s been several months since we were there last, we still feel like we have a little ‘Martinsville momentum’ going.

“Good brakes, good cars . . . that’s what it takes to run well at Martinsville. You have to be able to stop the car all day long, and you have to be able to get back on the gas hard and quickly. Martinsville can really take a toll on your equipment. You are running as hard as you can into the first and third turns, and then practically slamming on the brakes. You find your spot in the turns and you get back on the gas as quickly as you can. You have to do it smoothly and flawlessly each time, and the car has to hold up. Do all of that, and it’s usually a good day – if your luck holds out too.

“Getting through the turns at Martinsville is essentially the same as it is anywhere else. The first one who can get his car to set and can get on the gas the quickest is going to be the fastest around the race track. That’s the reason the brakes are so crucial there. You have to get the car slowed down and get it to set in the turns, so you can get back into the gas as quickly as possible and get on out of the turn.

“We think we’ll run well there. Every race is important to us. Every race has been important to us but even moreso now because we are looking for sponsorship. We’re talking with a lot of companies and we know they are going to be watching what we’re doing week in and week out. We want to get this BAM Racing Dodge right where it needs to be this week.”

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