Bristol: Ken Schrader preview

Schrader Knows Short Track Experience Pays Off at Bristol

* Ken Schrader will be making his 54th career NASCAR starts at Bristol Motor Speedway when he pilots the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge on Wednesday. He has 45 NASCAR Nextel Cup starts, six NASCAR Busch Series starts and three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at the newly-paved famed short track.

* The O'Reilly 200 will mark Schrader's 83rd NCTS start. In his previous 82 NCTS races, Schrader has an average starting position of 15th and finishing of 16th.

* Schrader will pilot "Bob Daddy" this week at Bristol. This particular chassis is the latest addition to the BHR stable. It was completed in April of this year.

* In three previous short track starts this season (Martinsville, Mansfield and O'Reilly Raceway Park) Schrader has an average finishing position of sixth.

A Look Back: With his win last week at Nashville Superspeedway Travis Kvapil became the third driver in NCTS history to win two out of three Tennessee races during one season. Bobby Hamilton Sr. did it in 2004, claiming victories at both Memphis Motorsports Park and Nashville Superspeedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. did it in 2001, claming victories at both Memphis and Bristol Motor Speedway. Kvapil will try to win the third Tennessee race at Bristol on Wednesday thus trying to break his, Hornaday's and Hamilton's record.

Schrader on Bristol: "Bristol is kind of a weird deal for me. I always run really well there, but it is not a track I would list as one of my all time favorites. It seems to always work out that way. The one track you love you can never get a great finish out of and the one you don't really care for you finish well. As a driver Bristol is really an endurance race. You have a lot to think about and not a lot of time to react when things go wrong in front of you. The banking is testing, the wrecks are endless, the heat is unbearable and pit road is always a huge challenging factor. It is very hard to pass there and that can be so aggravating after 100 laps or so. In fact, you pretty much have to gouge someone out of a spot. Over the years I have learned how to make people move pretty well. I think that will come in handy Wednesday night."J

-credit: bhr