Ken Schrader Racing
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| Owner(s) Name(s) | Ken Schrader |
| Racing Series | Craftsman Truck Series |
| Number of Championships | 0 |
| Car Number(s) | #52 |
| Driver(s) | Ken Schrader |
| Primary Sponsor(s) | Federated Auto Parts |
| Shop Location | Concord, North Carolina |
| Homepage | Schrader Racing |
Ken Schrader Racing is a NASCAR team and licensing agent for racer Ken Schrader, who owns and drives for the team. It currently competes in the NASCAR Nationwide, Craftsman Truck Series, and NASCAR Camping World West Series.
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[edit] Beginnings
Schrader began fielding his own team in 1987 in the then-Busch Series, driving the #45 Red Baron Pizza Ford Thunderbird at North Carolina Speedway. Qualifying 21st, he finished 5th, one lap down. He switched to the #52 and Chevrolets in 1988 and picked up sponsorship from Exxon. Running ten races, he had two top-fives and finished 32nd in points. In 1989, he made twelve races and picked up his first win in the Busch Series at Dover, and ran with Kodiak sponsorship in 1990. During the 1990 season, his team ran its first Winston Cup race when Brian Ross drove the #58 Pontiac at Pocono Raceway, finishing 27th after suffering an engine failure. Schrader would change his number to 15 in 1991, and had four top-five finishes.
AC Delco became the new team sponsor in 1992, and Schrader finished 29th in points, a career-best for him in the Busch Series. He switched back to the #52 in 1993, winning the pole at the season opening race, but had three top-tens, his lowest total since 1990. In 1994, he won his most recent race at Talladega Superspeedway, and had two other top-fives. After the 1995 season, the team retired from the Busch Series.
[edit] Craftsman Truck Series
Schrader began fielding trucks during the series' inaugural season in 1995. Driving the #52 Chevrolet Silverado with AC Delco sponsorship, he made seven starts and won at Saugus Speedway. He ran three races in his truck in 1996, sharing the ride with Tobey Butler, who won the pole at Evergreen Speedway. Schrader Racing also ran a pair of Cup races, with Jack Sprague driving the #52 Pedigree Petfoods Pontiac Grand Prix, his best finish being 23rd at Phoenix.
Butler was hired as the team's full-time driver in 1997, with Purolator becoming the team's new sponsor. After eleven races, he was replaced by Mike Wallace, who had a second place finish at California Speedway. Schrader himself ran a second entry, the #53 Penda Truck Accessories Chevy, at Richmond International Raceway, finishing sixth. Wallace drove exclusively for Schrader in 1998, posting eleven top-tens. He would leave for Ultra Motorsports at the end of the season, and Purolator ended its sponsorship in NASCAR.
Rookie Scott Hansen was tabbed as the new driver of the 52, and Oakwood Homes became the team's new sponsor. Hansen qualified for every race and had three top-tens when Schrader replaced him in the final race of the year, where he crashed out. Hansen still finished 2nd in the NASCAR Rookie of the Year standings and eighteenth in points. The 52 team went back to part-time racing after picking up Federated Auto Parts sponsorship in 2000, with Schrader sharing the ride with Lyndon Amick, who had a second place run at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Schrader and Amick continued to run part-time in 2001, with Schrader himself posting a second place finish at Darlington Raceway. During 2001 & 2002, KSR ran in the Busch Series again in the #07 Chevy with Schrader attempting a total of three races, and Michael Verger failing to qualify in his attempt. In 2002, Wallace returned to the team as co-driver, replacing Amick. The two would combine for twelve starts and five top-ten finishes. Schrader ran eleven races in 2003, and Wallace four, with four top-tens. Wallace began the 2004 season with a third place finish, before Schrader took over for the rest of the runs for the years. He had four top-tens and a pole at Bristol Motor Speedway. He made nine more starts in 2005, but had only one top-ten finish.
[edit] Hiatus and Return
KSR did not run any major series races over the next two seasons, focusing on the ARCA series, fielding entries for Chris Bristol. The team returned in 2008, when Schrader returned with Federated Auto Parts sponsoring his Toyota Tundra. In his first race back, he started 28th and finished 4th.
[edit] External links
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