rpm.espn.com: Ken Schrader

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Wednesday, January 29
Updated: February 4, 3:39 PM ET

Ken Schrader
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

Team: BAM Motorsports
Car/sponsor/make: No. 49 1-800-CALL-ATT Dodge

Ken Schrader
Schrader

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Best finish

2002 30 0 0 0 13th, Loudon, N.H.

Career 4 64 176 First, 4 times

2002 recap
The good: There was little good to report for Ken Schrader in 2002. He struggled throughout the season, in essence playing out a string in a car whose sponsor was jumping ship at the end of the season.

Season highlight: If you go by the way Schrader started the first two races of 2002 -- seventh at Daytona and on the outside pole at Rockingham, N.C. -- you might have thought he was going to have an outstanding season. Unfortunately, those first two qualifying efforts were the best Schrader would do for the rest of the year.

The bad: Schrader suffered through his worst season yet, continuing a slide downward in the points each year since 1997, when he finished 10th.

Season lowlight: For the first time in his 18-year career, Schrader failed to record a top-10 last season, with his best showing being a 13th at Loudon, N.H. in September.

Ken Schrader

Key stat: Schrader's four best finishes of 2002 -- three 14th-place efforts and a 13th-place showing -- came during a seven-race stretch starting with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and ending at Loudon. Schrader also extended a dismal mark of sorts, having been held winless now for 12 consecutive seasons, with his last triumph coming in 1991 at Dover, Del.

2003 outlook
What needs to be done: With his experience, Schrader has the potential to bring some stability to BAM Motorsports, which saw six different drivers come and go in 2002. The team did announce that it has primary sponsorship for six races this season, and as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the year, which will help pay the bills and buy some quality equipment. Schrader should help get the team headed in the right direction, but how far its funding, equipment and personnel will be able to go is anyone's guess.

Prediction: Schrader and BAM could very well be the darkhorse of darkhorses in 2003. There are so many question marks still unanswered, that making a prediction is difficult. If Schrader can finish the season in the top-30, it'll be a major accomplishment for both himself and the team.

Your take
Here are your thoughts on Schrader's prospects for 2003. How will he and BAM perform this season?

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