In the Pits- KSR

Schrader reaches more milestones

The same week that he notched his 680th career start in NASCAR’s Nextel Cup Series in the No. 21 Ford Fusion owned by the Wood Brothers, Ken Schrader drove his own Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet to a thrilling victory in an ARCA RE-MAX Series race in Toledo, OH. The double-dip further bolstered Schrader’s reputation as the busiest driver in the business, willing and able to race just about anything with four tires and a steering wheel anytime, anywhere.

Schrader edged hard-charging Justin Allgaier and Frank Kimmell to take the checkered flag at the Hantz Group 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway. The margin of victory: .092 seconds.

It marked Schrader’s 13th career win in the ARCA Series in 41 starts. The victory was even more impressive considering that Schrader had to start the race at the back of the pack. Nextel Cup commitments at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, site of that week’s Coca-Cola 600, forced Schrader to miss the qualifying session.

After working his way through traffic, Schrader took the lead on lap 182 and held it throughout the remainder of the 214-lap event. Just inches separated Schrader, Allgaier and Kimmell at the end after furious side-by-side-by-side racing over the final five laps.

“The car was really good,” Schrader said later. “It is always good. I enjoy Toledo Speedway, and I didn’t realize how good Justin [Allgaier] was before today. The car could really hold its own, even on tired tires. We had a good set-up on it today, especially for longer runs, which was a huge help.”

Allgaier returned the compliment: “I had fun racing with Schrader,” he said. “I mean, he raced me clean, and Kenny’s been a good friend of mine since I was little, so to run second to him is like a dream. It really is.”

Meanwhile, back on the Nextel Cup Series, Schrader continued to build on his career numbers that, following the Coca Cola 600, included 680 starts,

23 poles, four wins, 64 top-five finishes and 182 top-10 finishes. The story of Schrader’s remarkable career is documented in the autobiography, “Gotta Race!,” written with Joyce Standridge. Fans can purchase the 325-page book by calling Coastal 181.com toll free at (877) 907-8181 or visiting them online at www.coastal181.com.