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I wonder what ever happened to Ken Shrader

Charles Cook

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Back in 1990 I had lunch at a Quincey’s restaurant with him and some crew members. Got him to autograph a napkin for me. Wow how time fly’s. Oh we were in Alabama.
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Last I knew he was still playing in the dirt and toying around in ARCA.
And he still owns a dirt track here plus is part owner in two others.
 
He loves his dirt track racing.
 
Last I knew he was still playing in the dirt and toying around in ARCA.
And he still owns a dirt track here plus is part owner in two others.
X2
 
Back in 1990 I had lunch at a Quincey’s restaurant with him and some crew members. Got him to autograph a napkin for me. Wow how time fly’s. Oh we were in Alabama. View attachment 1250354
The thread title made me laugh. It reminds me of the random moment the guy from Vice Grip garage says, "I wonder what (insert name if famous person) is doing?"
 
I may be wrong or mixing him up with
another former NASCAR/USAC driver
didn't/wasn't he one of the people to help the Bodine bros.
design the new Olympic Bobsleds areo stuff etc. like 12+ years ago

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm :fool:
 
Yep, U B smoking. Geoff Bodine got help from builder Bob Cuneo. The sleds are built in Joey Logano's shop.
 
Some really good stuff on Ken on YouTube, some of it quite recent.
He always struck me as a good dude.
 
Some really good stuff on Ken on YouTube, some of it quite recent.
He always struck me as a good dude.
He's from Fenton mo, my home town. He's a good guy.
 
I followed many trucks and vans on the line while being built in the plant for me and many friends over the years. I had many pulled off and inspected, reworked or rushed through. I could get a truck or van to your dealer, in st Louis, from start to finish in 3 days. The good old days!!
 
He's from Fenton mo, my home town. He's a good guy.
Rusty Wallace is from Arnold mo, next door to Fenton. Both were nothing towns for years. Chrysler helped put Fenton on the map.
 
Kenny got his start at Lake Hill Speedway in Valley Park, MO, just down the street from his dad's auto repair shop. His brother, Eddie still runs it to my knowledge.
The speedway is now covered with water.
My brother hung out with Ken for years. Traveled with him for a bit during his USAC Late Model days. Remember USAC late models? Kenny asked my brother if he would would work for him but my SIL said NO. Not happening.
Haven't seen him in years. Back when I occasionally helped a friend with his dirt late model we sometimes parked next to or close to him in the pits.
Quite a character. And can flat out drive a car.
 
Kenny got his start at Lake Hill Speedway in Valley Park, MO, just down the street from his dad's auto repair shop. His brother, Eddie still runs it to my knowledge.
The speedway is now covered with water.
My brother hung out with Ken for years. Traveled with him for a bit during his USAC Late Model days. Remember USAC late models? Kenny asked my brother if he would would work for him but my SIL said NO. Not happening.
Haven't seen him in years. Back when I occasionally helped a friend with his dirt late model we sometimes parked next to or close to him in the pits.
Quite a character. And can flat out drive a car.
Seen him many times, years ago!! Lake Hill Speedway in Valley Park, MO. Went there every weekend for years in the late 60's. I lived at the top of the hill from the Fina gas station going towards Fenton behind the Quick shop. Those were some great times!!!
 
I'll be honest about the first thing I think about when I hear the name "Ken Shrader"...
That is, that he was wrapped up with #3 at Daytona into the wall on that fateful day.
I actually still watched a NASCAR race once in a while in those days (haven't for a long
time now since, though) and I was watching when that all came down.

First thing I noticed on the screen that day was how quickly Ken got out of his car and got over
to Earnhardts', even though he surely must have been still reeling from his own wrecking...
and if you watch video of it now, you'll see he isn't there for long, turning away and frantically
motioning for help for Dale after initially trying to get the window net down himself.
That burden, of being the first to Dale after the wreck and seeing what he saw - and carrying
that inside for the rest of his life - man, that's just the worst because he knew....
He knew he had just witnessed his close friend die, right before his eyes.

I've only seen Ken speak of that incident a very few times, most recently perhaps on Junior's podcast,
where they get into it a little bit and perhaps even more importantly, Junior expresses his deepest
gratitude to Ken for a lifetime of being his mentor of sorts - the man Dale Sr. entrusted to guide Jr.
from time to time when he needed it.

I have all the respect in the world for Ken Shrader, not only for how he's done it in his life or how he's
been a racer in the purest form for decades - but because, in some warped way, I can relate to him
because of a similar situation I found myself in one snowy/icy morning on a highway 30+ years ago...
I also was witness to someone dying before my eyes that day because of a wreck and what I saw
when I rushed up to their window, well....it haunts me to this day.
You don't "get over" such a thing - but I remember doing my damndest to keep others arriving on
scene from seeing it, too, until the police and rescue folks got there.

Nobody - I mean nobody - needs to ever witness such a thing.
 
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