TULSA, Okla. Ken Schrader is still racing and winning over a half century since he carried a 1964 Impala to his first victory at Missouris Lake Hill Speedway.

From the first days of his career, he displayed a willingness to race nearly any type of car at any venue ranging from the smallest bullring to superspeedways.

In 2024, he proclaims to have raced nearly 100 times. Although he will turn 70 years old this May, he has concluded, I guess you just have to die out of this thing.

Already active in the 2025 season, Schrader made a quick trip to Tulsa, Okla., where he was inducted into the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame. While now a member of that esteemed group, oddly enough, he confessed that at one point he had little interest in driving a midget. That soon changed.

His first ride came with multi-time St Louis Auto Racing Assn champion Bud Hoppe, but he eventually found a steady ride with L. Gene Hamilton. In 1980 he flew into Chicago and took a cab to Indianas Illiana Speedway.

Not realizing how long the trip would be he was forced to borrow money from USAC registrar M. A. Todd to pay his fare. Luckily enough he claimed his first USAC win that evening. All told he would nab 21 USAC National midget wins. He also excelled on the big stage. He took the Copper World Classic at Phoenix Raceway three times; he was the best at the 1981 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, and in 1983 he was victorious at the Night Before the 500 at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Schrader won the USAC Sprint and Silver Crown championship, and in 1982 his four wins help owner Nick Gojmeric claim the USAC National midget entrants title.

Given his total body of work, his versatility, and personality, by 1985 he was a steady presence on the NASCAR scene. All told he has started nearly 1,000 races across NASCARs three major touring series. Yet, in 1990 Schrader had the itch to go midget racing, and in particular he wanted to give the Chili Bowl Nationals a whirl.

For him it was an easy decision. I mean, its the second week of January and youre racing, he says, what could be better than that? It was so cool and so much fun.

In 1990, he raced for owner Terry Caves with Steve Kinser as a teammate. A solid fifth-place run in his preliminary night translated into a ninth place finish on Saturday. Kinser had better luck on Saturday night finishing second to John Heydenreich in a tight battle. Schrader was back with Caves in 1991, but did not fare as well.

In 1992 and 1993 he returned to the Chili Bowl, this time with Ralph, Greg and Chris Wilke. The car was approaching eight years old and by current standards was down on power. The story that circulated was that the piece had essentially been in storage.

Greg Wilke lightly debunks the notion, Well not exactly. It just wasnt as competitive outdoors because by now the Pontiac was available. Our Cosworth was only 120 inches.

Nonetheless, Wilke felt he had one key advantage.

We brought it out because we understood that Kenny with his skills and abilities could make up the difference. The track generally got slick by the end of the night, so it was smooth and fast.

True to from Schrader was spectacular in his preliminary night. On this night, the bottom groove was the way to go. Schrader started from the outside of the fourth row and immediately marched forward. Lealand McSpadden, and Page Jones pounded the cushion early, while Schrader waited for the race to come to him.

Lined up next to Sammy Swindell on the front row for the finale the action was hot from the drop of the green flag.

Recalling the night well, Schrader says, We started on the front row together and he wanted more space than I was willing to give him. The contact that ensued sent Ken to the rear where he immediately put on a show for fans. He eventually climbed back to seventh place and was named the Rich Vogler Hard Charger.

After the race Schrader instructed the Wilkes to take that car home and pickle it. That is exactly what they did.

In his 1993 preliminary night, Schrader led Danny Lasoski and Brent Kaeding to the checkered flag and earned a spot alongside Dave Blaney in the big show. The start of the 50-lap feature saw Blaney and Schrader locked into a terrific duel. Schrader was out front after 21 laps were down, but a broken fuel pump belt ended his night. To this day you can hear the frustration in Greg Wilkes voice. We had the fastest car, he said, I thought we had it. It doesnt take long for Ken to recall the moment either.

The team stayed intact for 1994 but could only muster a mid-pack finish on Saturday. They couldnt help reflecting on what could have been. For Greg Wilke, memories of working with Schrader provoke nothing but positive feelings.

He was just so easy going, he said. I remember one night we were pushing him out at the Chili Bowl, and I could see his knee was tight against the power steering. I said Kenny, is that alright? And he looks down and says, well it is against it so I cant hit it very hard. That was his demeanor. It was great that we were able to race with him.

As Ken Schrader talks about his days at the Chili Bowl one can detect a glint in his eye. That may have prompted Ken to reach out to another open-wheel star.

I sent Tony (Stewart) a text that said, dont you wish you were at the Chili Bowl? He wrote back, Hell yes, but then he sent me a picture of himself playing with his baby.