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Jun 07, 2023

SCHRADER WINS NASCAR APPEAL

NASCAR racer Ken Schrader finally exhaled Tuesday when an appeal panel lifted

NASCAR racer Ken Schrader finally exhaled Tuesday when an appeal panel lifted his suspension for cheating last week at the Daytona International Speedway.

If the suspension had been upheld, Schrader would have missed Sunday's race in Loudon, N.H., then July 18 in Pocono, Pa., July 25 in Talladega, Ala. and Aug. 8 in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Fifth in the series standings, even a one-race suspension would have virtually ended his hope of winning the $1 million Winston Cup.

Schrader and team owner Joe Hendrick were summarily suspended when inspectors found illegal equipment after July 1 qualifying for the Pepsi 400.

The penalty was severe because the illegal carburetor and intake manifold were designed to circumvent NASCAR's no-nonsense carburetor restrictor plate rule.

Hendrick Motorsports immediately appealed, meaning Schrader could requalify and compete in last weekend's race.

The National Stock Car Racing Commission agreed with his argument that he knew nothing about the illegal equipment. The carburetor and manifold came on the engine, which was rented from B&R; Engineering in Winston-Salem, N.C. Hearing the Schrader appeal were NASCAR competition administrator Jerry Cook, IMSA president Dan Greenwood, and Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell.

Schrader and Hendrick were each fined $5,000.

Schrader's season is proving that consistency is the key to championships. He's winless, but remains a contender for the title because of seven top-fives in his last 10 starts.

"We’ve been close a bunch of times," he said in Daytona Beach. "That's what it takes – being close often enough to stay up there in points.

"The leader will eventually have some problems. He’ll blow up or crash or get a bad pit stop. When he does, we’ll be right there because we’ve been consistent."

Schrader's Chevrolet team opened with an eighth in the Daytona 500, but three consecutive finishes of 20th or worse dropped him to 16th in points.

A top five at Darlington stopped the skid before a season's-worst 34th in Bristol, Tenn., the first weekend in April. A third in Martinsville buoyed Schrader's hopes, but that was before 18th- and 21st-place finishes in Talladega, Ala., and Sonoma, Calif.

Except for one bad finish, the team has been top-five ever since:

* Second in the non-points Winston Open and fourth in The Winston all-star race near Charlotte in May;

* The pole and fourth-place run in the Coca-Cola 600 near Charlotte, then a fifth in Dover, Del., the first weekend in June and the pole and second-place to Kyle Petty a week later in Pocono, Pa.

He slipped with a 16th in Michigan last month, then cracked the top five in points with his third-place behind Dale Earnhardt and Sterling Marlin in Daytona Beach.

"That's why the possibility of getting suspended would have ruined my season," Schrader said Tuesday. "We’ve come from 19th in points to fifth and have a shot at the championship.

"I’ve been holding my breath since last Thursday."

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