DARLINGTON - Former NASCAR race car driver Ken Schrader will be in Darlington at Ace Hardware on Friday to sign autographs and meet with fans before closing out the day racing in the modified division at the Lafayette County Speedway.
"I like going to facilities I've never been to before and racing with different guys," Schrader said. "I enjoy meeting the fans and having the kids come down to see the car before and after the race. I think whatever sport you are in the sport brings you together. It's like you have known these guys forever. It's like a disease we all have."
Schrader, 60, has been involved with auto racing for more than 40 years. He has raced late models, modifieds, sports cars, sprint cars, Indy cars and stock cars. Schrader raced in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series for 32 years and had 184 top-10 finishes before retiring in 2013. He racked up 39 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Xfinity series and 37 top-10 finishes in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series. The Schrader Racing Team has a car racing in the ARCA Racing Series that is seventh in the point standings with 17 races to go in the season.
Schrader, a Fenton, Missouri native, travels across the country racing on dirt and asphalt tracks and promoting auto racing. He has not driven in a race in the ARCA Series yet this year but said he may drive in a couple of races later this season. He's first-cousins with NASCAR driver Carl Edwards.
"It's part of all racers jobs to keep growing the sport and getting new people interested," Schrader said.
Schrader will be at Mathys Ace Hardware for an autograph session from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday.
He has won numerous awards, including the 1985 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year, the 1980 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year award, and the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Sportsman Award in 2009. He was the USAC Silver Crown Champion in 1982, the USAC Sprint Car Champion in 1983, the Busch Clash Winner in 1989 and 1990, and the Daytona 500 pole winner in 1988, 1989, and 1990.
When asked what his biggest accomplishment has been in his career, Schrader looked forward.
"I hope I haven't had it yet," he said. "I just worry about the next race."
He owns I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri, and is co-owner of Macon Speedway, near Macon, Illinois, along with Kenny Wallace, Tony Stewart, and local promoter Bob Sargent.
Schrader said the TV exposure of NASCAR has been a positive for the sport.
"Attendance is creeping back up," he said. "At the local levels, it's a tough business because the tracks are competing with so many other ways for people to spend their entertainment dollars."
Schrader said coming up with funding and sponsors no matter where a person is racing is the biggest challenge. For teenagers considering a future in racing, Schrader had some advice.
"Start to get sponsors now," he said. "The only way to race is to have a budget."
Schrader is looking forward to adding the Lafayette County Speedway to his list of more than 700 tracks that he has competed on.
"They are all special," Schrader said of the race tracks he has competed at in his career. "The last one (race) is your best one and your next one is your most important one."
"I like going to facilities I've never been to before and racing with different guys," Schrader said. "I enjoy meeting the fans and having the kids come down to see the car before and after the race. I think whatever sport you are in the sport brings you together. It's like you have known these guys forever. It's like a disease we all have."
Schrader, 60, has been involved with auto racing for more than 40 years. He has raced late models, modifieds, sports cars, sprint cars, Indy cars and stock cars. Schrader raced in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series for 32 years and had 184 top-10 finishes before retiring in 2013. He racked up 39 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Xfinity series and 37 top-10 finishes in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series. The Schrader Racing Team has a car racing in the ARCA Racing Series that is seventh in the point standings with 17 races to go in the season.
Schrader, a Fenton, Missouri native, travels across the country racing on dirt and asphalt tracks and promoting auto racing. He has not driven in a race in the ARCA Series yet this year but said he may drive in a couple of races later this season. He's first-cousins with NASCAR driver Carl Edwards.
"It's part of all racers jobs to keep growing the sport and getting new people interested," Schrader said.
Schrader will be at Mathys Ace Hardware for an autograph session from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday.
He has won numerous awards, including the 1985 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year, the 1980 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year award, and the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Sportsman Award in 2009. He was the USAC Silver Crown Champion in 1982, the USAC Sprint Car Champion in 1983, the Busch Clash Winner in 1989 and 1990, and the Daytona 500 pole winner in 1988, 1989, and 1990.
When asked what his biggest accomplishment has been in his career, Schrader looked forward.
"I hope I haven't had it yet," he said. "I just worry about the next race."
He owns I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri, and is co-owner of Macon Speedway, near Macon, Illinois, along with Kenny Wallace, Tony Stewart, and local promoter Bob Sargent.
Schrader said the TV exposure of NASCAR has been a positive for the sport.
"Attendance is creeping back up," he said. "At the local levels, it's a tough business because the tracks are competing with so many other ways for people to spend their entertainment dollars."
Schrader said coming up with funding and sponsors no matter where a person is racing is the biggest challenge. For teenagers considering a future in racing, Schrader had some advice.
"Start to get sponsors now," he said. "The only way to race is to have a budget."
Schrader is looking forward to adding the Lafayette County Speedway to his list of more than 700 tracks that he has competed on.
"They are all special," Schrader said of the race tracks he has competed at in his career. "The last one (race) is your best one and your next one is your most important one."
