Aaron's 499 - Ken Schrader Notes

Ken Schrader Notes, Quotes: Aaron’s 499
Actually, Aaron’s 450, and the Mad Dash 49

Ken Schrader and the #49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge team head to the 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499; the ninth race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.

Driver of the #49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge, Schrader is a native of Fenton, Mo. The busiest driver in major league motorsports, Schrader has raced and continues to race on virtually every type of speedway in virtually every type of race car. Schrader continues a winning career with BAM Racing, which fields the Schwan’s Home Service team.

The team is owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau, investors from Coral Gables, Fla. Ms. Morgenthau, whose initials make up the name of the team – BAM Racing – is the only female car owner in motorsports to become involved without prior family connections. General manager Eddie Jones is a veteran of the NASCAR Nextel Cup wars, enjoying a championship career as a crew chief, mechanic and team leader. Crew chief David Hyder has over 20 years of racing experience both driving and as a chief mechanic.

The Schwan Food Company is a privately held manufacturer and marketer of fine frozen foods through its nationwide Schwan’s Home Service home-delivery service, its Schwan’s Consumer Brands North America retail grocery business, and its Schwan’s Food Service Group foodservice unit. Headquartered in Marshall, Minn., Schwan’s production and distribution activities in the United States and Europe employ 24,000 people. Among its well-known brands are Schwan’s®, Tony’s®, Red Baron®, Freschetta®, Pagoda®, Mrs. Smith’s®, and Edwards®.

The thoughts of Schwan’s Home Service Dodge driver Ken Schrader heading into Talladega:

“If there truly is a ‘roll-the-dice’ track on the circuit Talladega is it. I think the last three times we’ve been there we finished within one second of the leader… one second of the leader! At most tracks that means we’d be looking at a top 10, heck, usually a top five; but not Talladega. That’s usually good enough for about 20th on back.

“Talladega is more about horsepower than some would believe. Horsepower lets you pull out and pass. There are some with enough horsepower that will allow them to get a run, jump out of line and at least run up beside someone. If they have a little help then they’ll be able to pass. If you’re a little down on horsepower, then you better be able to ‘suck up’ to the car in front of you, that way at least you’re constantly being towed… the good kind of ‘towed.’

“You hear guys talking about how they work better with other cars. Some can run faster when pushing the car in front of them, others can run faster being pushed. That’s what you figure out in the draft practices, do I run better with this guy when he’s leading, or do I run better ahead of him. Then once the green flag flies on Sunday, you throw it all out the window, because for the next 500 miles, it’s a traffic jam at 190 miles per hour. You’re three wide, 10 rows deep trying to figure out how in the world you can maneuver your way to the front.

“It really becomes a matter of being comfortable running with the people around you. If I know this guy in front of me is not going to do anything stupid, at least for the first 470 miles, then I’m probably more willing to follow him around. Then, on the other hand, some guys believe the white flag comes out on lap seven, and they’re going to be taking risks early and often. That’s fine as long as it works, but as soon as it doesn’t, they’re going to be rolling about ten cars in on a wrecker or a rollback.

“It’s a lot like driving down the interstate at about 60 mph in heavy traffic. Some drivers are content with staying in they’re lane even if it’s not the one going the fastest at the time, other drivers are constantly darting in and out of traffic, barely missing accidents with each risky maneuver. At least on the track, our spotters can tell us whether there’s room or not. But, make no mistake, with ten laps to go, there are a lot more drivers darting in and out than are willing to stay in line… that’s when it can get a little hairy.

“What most drivers would like to see happen is the Aaron’s 499 become two races. The Aaron’s 450 where everyone is very careful and willing to ride around until about 20 laps to go, then the Mad Dash 49, when it’s every man for himself. Hopefully we can keep the Schwan’s Home Service Dodge out of trouble and be there for the last 20 lap shootout to the checkers. Then, with any luck, we’ll be able to roll the dice, chose a good drafting partner, and make our way to the front at the end.”