Ken Schrader earned his second consecutive Grand National Division West Series victory in the United Rentals 150, Sunday in Phoenix International Raceway’s fourth annual Winter Heat. His ninth overall series win boosted his total wins at PIR to 14 in the 15 years he has been coming to Phoenix during NASCAR’s off-season. Schrader, fresh from a seventh-place finish in the AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series www.phoenixraceway.com 100, switched cars and took the green flag in the 150-mile race in PIR’s double feature. Child’s play for the racer accustomed to 500 miles and four hours of turning left. Schrader charged from his 19th-place starting position to seventh in only 14 laps and moved steadily through traffic until he caught Austin Cameron. Cameron started fifth and passed pole sitter and October winner Scott Lynch of Burley, Idaho, by the second lap around PIR’s mile oval. Cameron led until Lap 50 when he got wide in Turn 3, with the help of Schrader, he said, and fell to second. After a round of pit stops on Lap 89, Cameron clawed his way back into the lead. An incident on Lap 116 in Turn 1 involving Schrader, Cameron and Clint Bowyer put Bowyer sideways and ended Cameron’s challenge for the win. Schrader finished seven seconds ahead of Cameron, who held on to second. Matt Kobyluck, who started 24th in the 30-car field, finished third.(Arizona Republic)(1-28-2004)
