Four-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Ken Schrader won the Budweiser 500 at Dover International Speedway on June 2, 1991, but today he will race in the 2nd ever Kinross Klash at the Kinross Speedpark.
“This is our first time at this race track,” Schrader said, expecting nothing less than a good time on the quarter-mile, semi-banked paved oval track.
“He's one of only a select few drivers to have won in all three of NASCAR's national tours,” said Klash broadcaster Matt Prieur, amped up to meet up with the legendary driver.
Schrader has wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“He has the best career finish in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Prieur said. “His best finish in NASCAR Cup standings was a fourth in 1994.”
The 1985 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year has achieved 23 career pole awards, including the Daytona 500 in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
Today, Schrader will be driving stock car #27 owned by local driver Tim Aho.
“This has been one of the quicker cars lately,” Aho said. “I raced this car last week and we ran second place to my dad.”
Stock car #75, driven by 76-year-old Dennis Aho was last week’s A-stock feature winner.
But this weekend Aho and other drivers could experience a little more heat from Schrader, who pulled into the pits around 3:30 p.m. Friday evening after receiving a special invitation.
“Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schrader are really good friends,” Kinross Speedpark Director Mike Fox said. “That is how Shrader got invited here, because Wallace had a lot of good time here last year.”
Wallace is a former Fox NASCAR reporter and 2015 NASCAR retiree. In his twenty-five year career, Wallace had nine wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Both professional drivers are longtime heroes of Fox and his brother, Paul. They remembered standing for hours under the hot sun in the summer of 1990-something waiting for Schrader's autograph.
“Kenny spoke very good about his experience up here," said Schrader. “He said he had a lot of fun here. He met a lot of good people. He said it was just a fun weekend of racing.”
Schrader and his crew are looking forward to a "fun weekend of racing" as well. Then, it’s off to the Ohsweken Speedway in the village of Ohsweken, ON. for more racing.
Needless to say, the retired NASCAR legend still does a lot of racing.
"I was in a race car a total of 106 days last year," said Schrader.
In a post made to the official Schrader Racing website yesterday, he wrote:
“Tim Aho supplied us a great car and we had fast time tonight at Kinross international raceway. Started fourth in the dash and ran third, one practice heat race to go features tomorrow.”
Aho is sponsored by Denny’s Auto Body, Dean Garlinghouse Insurance, Fernelius Hyundai dealership and Pietrangelo Family Daycare Center.
Kinross race divisions include Autore Oil & Propane A stock cars, Shute Oil & Propane B stock cars, Gro-UP C stock cars, Kewadin Casinos St. Ignace four-cylinders, pro-fours, teams and any other outlaw front wheel drives. Modifieds will race in the heat and feature.
A Ken Schrader meet, greet and autograph session will be held from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. prior to the big race.
The Kinross Klash is presented by Fernelius Hyundai and Gray's Cleaning Services at Kinross Speedpark located by the Chippewa County Fairgrounds in Kinross. Pit gates open at noon, and grandstand gates open at 3 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies are set to begin at 5:55 p.m. The race revs off at 6 p.m.