In the Pits- KSR

Schrader to host ‘Night of Stars’ at 1-55 raceway

Ken Schrader is calling for a little help from his friends once again as he prepares to host his third “Night of Stars” at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, MO.

Schrader and fellow NASCAR stand-outs Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace, Martin Truex Jr. and others will kick up a little dirt for charity on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

The NASCAR All-Stars will race a 10-lap dirt Modified shootout at Schrader’s 3/8-mile dirt track. All proceeds for the event will benefit Petty’s Victory Junction Gang Camp.

“We did this for the first time a couple of years ago, and we packed about 10,000 fans into our little track,” Schrader says. “Dale Jr. is coming back this year, so I expect the grandstands will be full this time, too. The is for a real good cause, so I hope fans will come out and support us and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.”

Schrader and his racing buddies will sign autographs for the fans at the track from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.

Racing will begin at 7:30 p.m. The All-Star 10-lap Late Model shoot-out will be a preamble to the night’s feature races— winged Sprint cars and UMP Late Models. Schrader and Wallace both plan to race in the UMP Late Model feature.

“I’ve brought a lot of my racing friends to Pevely,” Schrader says. “I always promise them one thing—that they will have a good time—and they always do.”

Reserved tickets for the “Night of Stars” event are $30 and are on sale now. Fans can buy tickets by calling (636) 479-3219. For more information, vi- sit their Web site at www.i55raceway.com.

Schrader celebrated his 50th birthday on May 29 by recording a top-10 finish at the Coca-Cola 600. The strong finish boosted Schrader to 26th place in the season point standings after 12 races and put him within 224 points of a spot in the “Chase for the Championship.”

In the week leading up to the Coca-Cola 600, fans had the opportunity to stop by the Schwan’s Home Service display booth at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway and sign a 4' x 10' birthday card that was presented to Schrader following the race weekend.

“Charlotte is obviously a home track to a lot of teams, and we’re no different,” Schrader said before the race. “We are located about 15 minutes from the start/ finish line, and it’s always good, especially for the crew guys, to spend a couple weeks off the road.”