WOOD BROTHERS/JTG MOVE ONWARD AND UPWARD TO RICHMOND

The Wood Brothers/JTG race team is ready to move onward and upward to Richmond International Raceway this weekend, in preparation for the Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400 event Saturday night. Last week, the team failed to qualify for an event for the first time in seven years—however, the team has already moved on. The team’s primary sponsor will be Motorcraft, participating in their third race of the year in the now familiar red and black scheme.

Being that this is the fourth COT race of the year (of sixteen total), the team is bringing a chassis which previously competed at Phoenix International Raceway, labeled C-4. Hopefully true to its nickname, it will provide the explosive effort needed Friday evening to get qualified for the Cup race.

Richmond International Raceway was the site of Ken Schrader’s best finish of the entire 2006 season—a seventh place effort that was overshadowed that evening by being the Chase for the Championship cut-off point which eventually knocked out two-time and defending NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion, Tony Stewart.

Schrader has 44 starts at the ¾ of a mile track deemed “almost perfect” by many of the Cup competitors, as it offers side-by-side racing with a premium on both handling and horsepower. Schrader has garnered three top-five finishes and 12 top-10 finishes at Richmond. He has one pole position at the race track, coming in the 1993 season. Schrader’s career best finish there is fourth, which he has done on three different occasions.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Ken Schrader, driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford:
“We’ve had our best qualifying efforts of the year with the COT chassis, so I certainly hope we can continue that trend this weekend. We’re bringing the same car we used at Phoenix, but it’s got some new tweaks and things that should help us on the adjustability side during practice. I think the qualifying draw is going to be interesting as always, so I hope we get a good number to go out, then we can capitalize.”

Ernie Cope, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford:
“Our test at Richmond last month provided us with a preview of what we hope the weekend will go like for us, but we will all have qualifying on our minds on Friday during practice. We’re behind right now and we just have to take things in the right order, whether that’s frustrating or not.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:
-Ken Schrader will drive the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford in the Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night.
-Ken Schrader has 44 starts under his belt at Richmond International Raceway. He’s led 42 laps of competition at the 3/4-mile track, with three top-fives and 12 top-10 finishes.
-The Wood Brothers/JTG team is taking Chassis C-4 to this weekend’s event. It has previously been used at Phoenix International Raceway.

RACE INFORMATION:
What – Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race
When – Saturday, May 5th, 2007; 7:30 p.m. EDT
Where – Richmond International Raceway; 400 laps; 300 miles
Network – FOX Television Network; MRN Radio Network