Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series Race Notes

Sprint Cup Series

Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 - Kenny Schrader Notes

Kenny Schrader
Richmond International Raceway Advance Notes

Race: Crown Royal Presents Dan Lowry 400 on Saturday, May 3 (NSCS) (LIVE, FOX, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Track: Richmond International Raceway (3/4-mile D-Shaped Oval)
Location: Richmond, VA

Kenny Schrader and the No. 40 Kennametal Dodge Team (NSCS)

NOTES

Schrader Lends a Hand at Richmond: CGRFS announced earlier this week NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader will drive the No. 40 Kennametal Dodge in this Saturday night’s NSCS 400-lap event, while its full-time driver Dario Franchitti recovers from a race injury he received in the NNS event at Talladega this past Saturday (April 26). Schrader is confirmed to drive for CGRFS in Richmond only. Schrader has 44 starts at RIR, which include one pole, three top-fives and 12 top-10s. All three top-fives are fourth-place finishes (collected in March 1995, and then back-to-back in June and September 1998). Schrader’s last start at RIR was in September 2006 behind the wheel of No. 21 Wood Brothers car, during which he walked away with a seventh-place finish (started 17th). The last time he competed in the Spring race at RIR was May 2006, driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers car (started 28th, finished 16th).

Franchitti Update: Dario Franchitti, full-time driver of the No. 40 CGRFS Dodge, was re-evaluated earlier this week by his doctors and will sit out this weekend’s NSCS race at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). Franchitti was seen by Dr. Terry Trammel and Dr. Kevin Scheid in Indianapolis, Ind., on Monday. The doctors confirmed the slight fracture in his left ankle. Franchitti will be fitted for a carbon fiber brace later this week. His status behind the wheel of the No. 40 Dodge will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.

THANK YOU, DAVID!: Once it was concluded Franchitti wasn’t going to be able to race this past Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway after being injured in the NNS race, Penske Racing gave the ok for its NASCAR test team driver David Stremme to climb behind the wheel of the No. 40 TUMS Dodge to help Franchitti, TUMS and the entire CGRFS organization. Stremme proceeded to spend the majority of the third and fourth quarters of the NSCS Aaron’s 499 running inside the top 10 and leading the field at two different points of the effort. Unfortunately, the 188th lap of the day turned into mass hysteria as more than 10 cars, including the No. 40 TUMS Dodge, were collected in a last-lap accident. The late-race collision turned Stremme’s potential top-five day into a 28th-place finish. Overall, it turned out to be a good points day for the No. 40 team, as they moved up three positions, into 36th place, where the team is now only 61 points outside the top 35.

Don’t Miss CGRFS Fan Day 2008: CGRFS wants to thank its fans for their support this upcoming Friday, May 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., during the Third Annual CGRFS Fan Appreciation Day. This year’s event will be highlighted by a variety of activities at the team’s Concord, N.C., race shop, including an extended view of the race facility that will take fans through interactive stations and displays, and then show them pit stop and car wrapping demonstrations. A complimentary lunch will also be provided. Then, the entire CGRFS NASCAR drive line-up, including Dario Franchitti, Reed Sorenson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Bryan Clauson and Kevin Hamlin, will stop by the shop from Noon to 2 p.m. ET to meet their fans and sign autographs. Please Note: Wristbands will be required to receive an autograph. They can be reserved in advance by calling 866-888-6388 beginning Monday, May 5. Limit two wristbands per call. Reserved wristbands MUST be picked up no later than end of day Thursday, May 22, or they will no longer be reserved. There will also be a private shopping session for all wristband holders from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 23.

Kennametal Back Onboard: CGRFS announced in late March an expansion of its current partnership with Kennametal (NYSE: KMT) to include primary sponsorship for multiple NSCS races this 2008 season. Kennametal made its primary sponsorship debut at Martinsville Speedway earlier this year and is going for its second run this weekend at RIR. Kennametal, a longtime CGRFS partner, supplies tooling and machining technology to the team’s Charlotte and Indianapolis-based racing shops. In addition, Kennametal provides the team’s engineers and machinists with a myriad of opportunities to further refine their skills in order to gain optimum performance through Kennametal’s internal university program.

Solid Day: This past Sunday, April 27, was one of the most successful days in the history of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. Aside from Montoya’s solid run at Talladega Superspeedway, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, co-drivers of the No. 01 TELMEX Lexus Riley, captured their third victory out of four races in the Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series race (Virginia International Raceway). Then, Dan Wheldon, driver of the No. 10 Target Honda, walked away with the IndyCar Series win at Kansas Speedway and his teammate Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 09 Target Honda, came away with a third-place finish. Wheldon’s win marked the second victory for Team Target in the first four races of the season (in late March Dixon won the season-opener at Homestead Miami Speedway). Sunday also marked the second time this season Ganassi has won twice in the same day as both his IndyCar team (Dixon) and his Grand-Am team (Pruett and Rojas) picked up back-to-back wins on March 29 in Homestead. With five wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 94 trips to victory lane.

CHASSIS INFO
No. 40 Kennametal Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #804. This car most recently carried Franchitti and team to a 32nd-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway (started 21st). Prior to that, the team ran the car at Martinsville Speedway in late March (finished 22nd, started 43rd).