New Hampshire II
Dura Lube/K-Mart 300, Ken Schrader leaves Petree Racing, and the silly season list.
Ken Schrader.... Not a Good Choice?
I'm sure Ken Schrader has his own bevy of loyal fans, like most Winston Cup drivers. Last week NASCAR Online featured Ken in one of their polls. The question; Is Ken Schrader the man to take the No. 36 to victory lane? As of Sunday morning, September 19th, over 60 thousand fans had voted in the poll. The results; 51.1% said no, while 48.8% said yes. I voted myself, like I always do, and I voted no. Lets get real about this, he's been going down hill since the early '90's. With four wins in 15 years, one in '88, one in '89, and two in '91, he hasn't really set any race tracks on fire. He tends to lean more to the conservative side on the race track. Playing it safe doesn't usually get you into victory lane.
But, I have to say, in Ken's defense, that maybe a change is what he needs. Maybe he has mired himself in a sea of complacency with Andy Petree. It could be that the conservative attitude is what the Petree team wants. Maybe they don't want him to take the chances other drivers do, and tear up race cars. Well, he tears up enough race cars as it is, without taking the chances that would put him in victory lane.
Andy Petree is said to be "shocked" about Ken's decision to not "honor his commitment" to Petree Racing, and head out to greener pastures. Again, in defense of Ken, maybe he saw the handwriting on the wall with Petree Racings' sponsor. They inked a deal with Oakwood Homes for next season, but in the past six months, Oakwoods' stock has fallen 75%, their CEO resigned, they closed three plants and laid off over 1,000 workers. Industry forecasts call for a severe slump in the mobile home industry. So, if Ken stays with Petree, he might end up without a sponsor (more than likely), which might mean he wouldn't be able to race a full schedule next season, and his salary would no doubt also be affected. One has to look out for one's self, and I think that's exactly what Ken is doing. The No. 36 car has a solid sponsor, but then again, they can also pull out anytime, especially if Ken doesn't perform to their satisfaction. Racing is a risky business!
The copyright of the article New Hampshire II in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish New Hampshire II in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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