By calling other drivers and other people in the know about the track, you will be able to figure out the basic setup you're going to need to get around the track. You really should use other people's experience to your advantage.
Seat Time
Once you get to the track, the key is to get out there and get as much time behind the wheel as you can. The track changes from week to week, so there's not going to be one certain setup that is going to work every single time. And that's really the hardest thing for a driver to deal with, especially at dirt tracks.
Not only does a track change weekly, but it changes constantly during the course of an event. Keeping up with these changes is a challenge for the driver and the crew. There are so many adjustments that can be made, and you can really dial yourself in or out very quickly. Once you run a few laps, you may realize you need to go the opposite direction with your setup. If you get out there and run your hot laps, you should be able to figure out what changes need to be made. It may even help you figure out what kind of challenges you will face during the race.
With each track you visit, it gets a little easier. Once you've run one quarter-mile dirt track, then you are really ahead of the game when you go to the next one. It may be a little bit different, but I can guarantee you that it will have a lot of the same features as the first. And once you have been to two tracks, it makes the third that much easier.
You get to the point where you can look at the track and recognize the similarities to other tracks where you have raced, and you get a feel for how the car should be set up for its best performance. It's like building blocks. The more experience you have at the tracks, the higher you can climb and the better you will become.
I hope this little bit of advice helps any of you guys who want to break into the world of weekly racing, or for you drivers who already travel to various small tracks near your hometown. Some of the advice may sound silly to you, but I can attest to the fact that it works. If it weren't for making those phone calls, I wouldn't have won or even started some of the races at the small dirt tracks that I have.
And if you see me at your home track one day, don't be shy. Come up and introduce yourself-I'll be more than happy to give you some advice. I may even need to pick your brain about the track.
Did You Know?
Schrader ran his first Winston Cup races in 1984. He ran five races that season, and collected total winnings of $16,425.