(11/24/2018)
2018 was a another great year for Montevideo, Minnesota’s Rick Schroeder. The 18 year veteran put together an outstandingly consistent season, only finishing outside the Top 5 three times in his 22 starts. It’s even more impressive when you realize it took 11 starts before Schroeder slumped to a 7th place finish.
Instead of starting a run of poor finishes, that 7th place finish ignited a light in Schroeder. Rick would go on to claim wins in 2 of the first 3 weeks of July at Fergus Falls’ I-94 Speedway and Alexandria’s Viking Speedway. Those 2 victories would go in the books as career wins numbers 11 and 12.
Schroeder looked to be a contender early in the year at Viking, taking 3 runner up spots in the first 4 races. Despite finishing in the Top 4 in all but 2 races, points leader Ben Wolden was able to pull away late in the season. Schroeder would have had a better chance at running down Wolden if multiple races weren’t rained out towards the end of the season, which lead to Schroeder’s decision to forgo the final points race of the year, choosing instead to race a couple more tracks before the season ended.
One of the stats that stood out for Schroeder in 2018 showcased just how consistently he ran up front. In 22 starts, Schroeder finished on the podium (Top 3) 11 times. Schroeder was in contention for wins time and time again throughout the year, so it was no surprise to see him run competitively at every track he visited. If Schroeder runs at or near this level again in 2019, there’s no doubt that he’ll be in victory lane again a few times next year.
While he still plans on running the Limited Late Model again next season, Schroeder made a big move this offseason to acquire a Sprint Car, something he had hoped to do before he quit racing. When asked of his opinion on how 2018 went, Rick said: “I think my team and I had a pretty good 2018 race season. I am proud of the fact that we only finished outside the top 5 three times all year and only had one DNF. We are looking forward to see what 2019 brings with continuing to run the late model but also getting our feet wet with the sprint car!”
Rick would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:
Matt’s Motor Worx- Engine builder and Dad. He does it all from engines, trannys, rear ends the whole 9 yards.
True Precision Machining
Olson Repair
Truform Race Products
J&J Concrete and Masonry
The Hair Chateau
Season Stats:
Starts: 22
Wins: 2
Top 5’s: 19
Top 10’s: 22
Best Finish: 1st (Twice)
Worst Finish: 7th (3 Times)
I-94 Speedway:
May 25th: 3rd
June 1st: 3rd
June 8th: 2nd
June 15th: 3rd
June 22nd: 7th
July 6th: 1st
July 13th: 4th
Viking Speedway:
May 5th: 4th
May 12th: 2nd
May 19th: 2nd
May 26th: 2nd
May 27th: 3rd
June 16th: 4th
June 23rd: 3rd
July 7th: 7th
July 14th: 4th
July 21st: 1st
July 28th: 3rd
August 4th: 7th
Madison Speedway:
August 11th: 2nd
August 18th: 4th
Granite City Speedway:
September 9th: 5th
Interested in having writeups like these done for your race team throughout the season? Contact Daren Ricks of DRC Motorsports Media here on Facebook, at darenricks999@gmail.com or at (916) 229-7474 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.
Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media
DRC Motorsports Media 