Schrader raises eyebrows, brings back memories (cont'd)

In fact, Schrader made more in the Busch Clash than he did for finishing second to Darrell Waltrip in the 500 a week later.

"Three weeks ago, I ran in a midget race in Milwaukee for $1,000," Schrader said. "A thousand dollars! That's doesn't even pay for the fuel I used flying up there and running the car."

And for the 1990 Busch Clash, Schrader proved once again to be the man to beat. He floored the gas pedal of his No. 25 Chevy Lumina to a pole-winning speed of 196.515 mph, then challenged the rest of the Busch Clash field in a game of "catch me if you can."

For the most Greg Sacks, driving another Hendrick car -- the No. 46 City Chevrolet that would be used in the filming of "Days of Thunder" a week later -- was able to lead four laps. But once Schrader went to the front, he was gone. He beat Sacks to the line by two car-lengths.

"On the last lap, I took a shot up the track out of Turn 2 and tried to get a better run at him," Sacks said. "But it didn't happen.

The rest of the 10-car field was suitably impressed.

"Kenny just accelerated right away from me on the green flag," fifth-place finisher Bill Elliott said. "I called my guys at the end of the first lap and said, 'No way, guys.' Schrader had the horsepower."

But for all his Busch Clash success, Schrader was never able to match it in the 500. He blew an engine 58 laps into the 1990 edition and finished 40th. He would come close again in 1996 (third), 1998 (fourth), 1999 (sixth) and 2000 (ninth), and then pilot the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford to a ninth-place finish in the 2006 Daytona 500.

At 54, Schrader continues to race "any time, anywhere." Even though his last Cup start came at Phoenix in 2008, his racing calendar is overflowing.

How much has changed since Schrader's second Busch Clash victory 20 years ago? North Wilkesboro and Rockingham were still mainstays on the schedule, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was still a sanctuary for only open-wheeled cars, and tracks in Fontana, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Las Vegas and Joliet were either under construction or in the planning stages.

In 1990, the NFL had not one, but two franchises -- the Raiders and the Rams -- in Los Angeles. And included in this year's Budweiser Shootout field is Joey Logano, who wasn't born until May of that year.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.