“I’m Not Apologizing for It”: Ken Schrader has Little Regret Over Limited Success at the Cup Level in NASCAR Career

Before Kyle Larson and Tony Stewart, there was Ken Schrader. The driver from Missouri was known for racing across various disciplines, participating in as many as 100 races annually during the 1990s. For all his achievements, he rarely reached the victory lane in the Cup Series. However, the 69-year-old icon does not want to see this void as a blemish on his legacy in motorsports.

Schrader drove in the Cup Series for 29 long years, from 1984 to 2013. He ran in 763 races and won just four. This, while securing 23 pole starts, 65 top-5s, and 184 top-10s. The numbers, especially on the wins column, are a tad bit underwhelming for a driver who found great success in other avenues. He had won the 1982 USAC Silver Crown Series championship, for instance.

“Obviously, I would like to have had a lot better NASCAR career, but I’m not apologizing for it,” said Schrader in a recent interview.

“We were able to stay there for 29 years,” he added. “Made a lot of good friends, drove some good cars, had a lot of fun but, obviously, those opportunities dried up.”

The most noteworthy stretch of his career was when he drove for Hendrick Motorsports (1988 to 1996). All four of his wins came during the period, and he won the pole for the Daytona 500 three years in a row (1988, 1989, and 1990).

Why Schrader had more fun driving for Junie Donlavey than for Rick Hendrick

Before joining Rick Hendrick’s camp in 1988, Schrader spent three seasons driving for Donlavey Racing. Junie Donlavey, the owner of the team, was one of the most admired people in NASCAR at the time. Schrader couldn’t help but become a fan.

Even after all these decades, he still carries profound respect for him. Schrader addresses the late icon as “Mr. Donlavey” and nothing else. He said a few years back that winning the 1987 qualifying race for Donlavey Racing was the highlight of his entire career for what it meant to his benefactor. 

Schrader achieved the same with Hendrick the following year, but the feel wasn’t the same for him.

“We won the (qualifying) race the next year with Mr. Hendrick’s car and it was great, but it wasn’t like pulling into Victory Lane in Mr. Donlavey’s car. We were supposed to pull into Victory Lane with Rick’s car,” he said.

Schrader stayed in the Cup Series till he was 58, last driving for FAS Lane Racing. But the realization that he had a better chance of winning on the dirt tracks led to him completely moving outside of NASCAR.