Ken Schrader announced his retirement from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. But don’t fear. The veteran is nowhere near done racing.
The veteran has announced that his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards team, Ken Schrader Racing, Inc., will field a full-time team in the 2004 season. Schrader is scheduled to run 10 races, while Matt Tifft and Clay Campbell will split the rest of the schedule.
“We are proud to be running a full ARCA schedule next season,” Schrader said. “With Matt and Clay assisting with the team’s driving duties, I will be able to run our No. 9 Federated Auto Parts Dirt Modified and still compete in the ARCA Series. Donnie Richeson will again head up our North Carolina-based team and be calling the shots from the pit box. He has worked with many young drivers and I believe he and Matt will be a great combination. Clay brings 25 years of driving experience to the KSR team and will be a major asset at the big tracks.”
Tifft will be behind the wheel o the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts for eight races. The 17-year-old high school senior has been racing since 2007, stating off with go-karts at Barberton Speedway. The young driver won the Rookie of the Year Award for ARCA’s Midwest Tour in 2012 and ran some ARCA races last year, as well as the full K&N Pro Series East schedule. His best career finish in ARCA was a fifth at Toledo.
“I am very excited to make the move to Ken Schrader Racing and very proud to represent Federated Auto Parts,” Tifft said. “The team is a proven winner and consistent high finisher, and I look forward to adding to the success this team has already had. It is very cool to me to be racing for Ken Schrader. I’ve had one of his diecast cars since I was about five years old! I know I will learn a lot from him on and off the track.”
Campbell, who is the president of Martinsville Speedway, will race the car in the two restrictor plate events – February 15th at Daytona and May 3rd at Talladega.
“Growing up in this sport like I have, obviously, I’ve known Ken Schrader and followed his career for a long time and have tremendous respect for him,” Campbell said. “To now drive for him in the Federated Auto Parts No. 52 is really a highlight of my life. Ken loves racing and has a passion for it just like I do. He knows both sides of this business by being a driver as well as a track owner. I’m the same way, just the exact opposite.
“I enjoy racing at Daytona and Talladega and with Ken, his equipment and his team, I really think we have a great opportunity to run well. For him to have confidence enough to put me in that car means a great deal to me and I’m looking forward to it.”
KSR also announced that Federated Auto Parts will continue to sponsor Schrader’s ARCA entry for the 15th consecutive year.
“Everyone at Federated is excited about continuing our long relationship with Ken Schrader and our full-season sponsorship of the Schrader Racing ARCA team in 2014,” J.R. Bishop, director of motorsports and event marketing for Federated, said. “We are really looking forward to having Matt Tifft, one of the future stars of racing, drive the Federated ARCA car, as well having Clay Campbell, one of the most respected figures in NASCAR, behind the wheel of the Federated ARCA car for two races. We are putting together a great hospitality program surrounding the ARCA schedule that we know our members and their customers will really enjoy, so we can’t wait to get racing in 2014.”
KSR also announced that Schrader will again run the July 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway where he captured the pole in 2013 while Tifft will also compete in four K&N East races in a KSR-prepared car.
