Schrader returns to the driver’s seat for Wall of Fame night at Hawkeye Downs

CEDAR RAPIDS - It was an easy yes for Ken Schrader.

Schrader, who spent nearly 30 years in the NASCAR circuit, was one of five individuals inducted into Hawkeye Downs’ Wall of Fame on Friday. When Landon Cassill, a fellow 2025 inductee, asked Schrader if he’d like to race his No. 7 Sport Mod on induction night, Schrader jumped on the opportunity.

“I said heck yeah. Being as I’m up there, I sure want to,” Schrader said. “I’ve known Landon since he was a pup. We raced against each other some in the NASCAR series, but when he started running around home (Hawkeye Downs), we’d come up and race with him.

“I know how active they (Landon and Roger Cassill) are and how much they’ve done to help the track, so it’s just something we decided was going to happen.”

Throughout Schrader’s career, he’s been an ambassador for motorsports, making appearances and racing at Hawkeye Downs Speedway numerous times in the Modified and Late Model divisions.

“Iowa in general always had such good race fans, good cars and good drivers,” Schrader said. “I’m from St. Louis, and the Iowa boys used to come over for our big races (and) kick our butt. I just appreciate the fans and the support the smaller tracks get from the community.”

Before Friday, it’d been “about 20 years” since Schrader competed at HD. He still has fond memories of the track, including an early win on the “new” asphalt in 1989 and a Deery Brothers Summer Series victory in 2001.

“We had a lot of fun whenever we were here,” Schrader said. “I think we won the first night up here when they paved it (1989). I remember they opened up a bit early for practice because nobody was used to the pavement. I was driving for Bob Harris (HD Wall of Fame, 2022). That was a lot of fun going to a brand-new track.”

Schrader made his first NASCAR Cup Series start in 1984 and raced NASCAR until 2013. During his NASCAR career, he accumulated 184 top-10 finishes, earned three consecutive Daytona 500 poles from 1988 to 1990 and finished fourth in points in 1994 behind Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace.

“Kenny Schrader, to be inducted with him is incredible,” Cassill said. “He’s being inducted because of his history in Cedar Rapids. As a kid, I knew who Kenny Schrader was. The car I drove, my Modified, was a car that he drove for Gerald Seger here at Hawkeye Downs.

“I felt like I had this connection to Schrader before I ever raced against him.”

That connection made asking Schrader to drive his Sports Mod on Wall of Fame night an easy call for Cassill.

Schrader finished second in a 13-car field behind points-leader Tallan Chandler.

At 70, he remains active in the racing community, driving his Federated Auto Parts cars at various dirt tracks across the country.

“I’m still having fun (racing), that’s the problem,” Schrader said with a laugh. “If I wasn’t, I could quit. But we’re still having fun.”

Schrader was the second former NASCAR driver to steer the No. 7 in consecutive weeks — Kenny Wallace also finished second in the Sports Mod on July 18.

Cassill will take his turn next.

“I’m going to be driving it this Wednesday (July 30),” Cassill said. “That’ll be fun and hopefully the community can have some fun with that.”

Along with Schrader and Cassill, Jim Williams, Max Rogers and Bob Ballard were all honored as members of the 2025 Hawkeye Downs Wall of Fame class on Friday before the start of racing.