In the Pits- KSR

Schrader Dodges Trouble at Talladega

When Ken Schrader skillfully dodged a series of major pile-ups during the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeed-way to record a top-10 finish in the Schwan’s No 49 Dodge, the words he spoke on the eve of the race sounded eerily prophetic.

“If there truly is a ‘roll-the-dice’ track on the circuit, Talladega is it,” Schrader said. “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 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, 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 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. 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 10 cars in on a wrecker or a rollback.

“It’s a lot like driving down the interstate at about 60 m.p.h. in heavy traffic. Some drivers are content with staying in their lane, even if it isn’t 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 they make. At least on the track, our spotters can tell us whether there’s room or not. But, make no mistake about it, with 10 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.”