Ken Schrader

DRIVERS

Ken Schrader

The 105 winningest drivers MY EYES have seen - By Bobby Gerould - Last updated July 20, 2006. Rocklin, CA. …Here is a fun project that anyone can do. Try to re-trace all the races that you have been to in your lifetime, and list the winners of each feature your eyes have seen. It takes time; I've been working on my list literally for about six years. About once a month I take a few hours and dig through old programs, do Google searches, read journals, and use Kevin Eckert's website to try to find the race winners I saw. For the sake of clarity - I am including any race where I was on the grounds - even the ones I may have slept through as a three year old. My Dad was an announcer of super-modified, and sprint car events on the West Coast. From birth I went to West Capital Raceway (W. Sacramento, CA.) on Saturdays. Later, as Dad did more writing, and announcing we included Friday nights at Chico CA. and special events at Dixon CA. into the mix. As a teenager and college student I worked for NARC and hit all the major Northern California dirt tracks. Adult work for USAC, the World of Outlaws, and others has blessed us with the opportunity to see many tracks across the USA, and into Canada. The results of all this logging and work will be a historical log that I can always go back to for reflection. My list will obviously reflect my environment. It will not be a list of who I consider to be the greatest drivers ever. That would be subjective, and impossible. But I can scientifically list the best drivers I have seen. This list is a fun project for me and I hope you will enjoy the journey to naming number one. ...#105 Perry James Jr. - Elverta, CA. - 2 wins. #104 - Peter Murphy - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia / Oakhurst, CA. 2 wins. #103 Johnny Tiner - Rio Linda, California. 2 wins. # 102 Ed Organ, Napa CA. - 2 wins. #101 Lee Brewer Jr. - Memphis, TN. - 2 wins. #100 Johnny Pearson, Stockton, CA. two wins. #99 Dave Bradway SR - Fair Oaks, CA. - Two wins. #98 Mike Kirby. Torrance, CA. - two wins. #97 Blake Robertson - Visalia, CA. - two wins. #96 Andy Forsberg - Auburn, CA. - two wins. #95 Brian Crockett - Sacramento, CA. - two wins. #94 Rick Horton - Concord, CA. Two wins. #93 Jason Statler - Los Gatos, CA. two wins. #92 Larry Burton - Roseville, CA. two wins. #91 Rip Williams - Yorba Linda, CA. two wins. #90 Tyler Walker - Santa Clarita, CA. two wins. #89 Danny Smith - Danville, IN. two wins. #88 Jason Leffler - Long Beach, CA. two wins. ...#83 Mitch Sue - Live Oak, CA. - 3 wins. #80 Joe Hill - Sacramento, CA. - Three wins.

#87 Ken Schrader - Fenton, MO. two wins.
…One of the best things about keeping a list like this is recalling a cool memory. I saw Ken Schrader win in a winged sprint car at the legendary 'Little Springfield' in Springfield, IL. The date was July 31, 1983. We were on a road trip with Bruce Homer, Larry Shelton, Garrett Mueller, and Danny Monhoff. Mitch Sue made a cameo appearance for part of the trip. Anyway - we took in a points race at Little Springfield just before they shut the joint down. I recall Duke McMillen and Tim Green in the Lovell Bros. #71 also in the show that evening. The second time I saw Schrader win - he was driving a Southwest Tour stock car at Phoenix International Raceway (February 1, 1998). …Schrader is of course now racing at NASCAR's highest level - the Cup Series. His accomplishments are numerous. He is among the real pioneers in being purely a 'racer' - not someone who is pigeon-holed into one type of car. Schrader has wins in midgets, sprint cars, champ dirt cars, stock-cars, winged sprint cars, and probably others that I don't know of. He owns a Silver Crown Championship (1982) as well as a USAC National Sprint Car title (1983). Schrader parlayed his open-wheel success into NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors in 1985. He now has four Cup wins to his credit with a fourth place finish in points as his best effort to date (1994). He loves racing! Schrader, 51, is also CO-promoter at I-55 Speedway in Pevely, MO.