BAM go full-time with Schrader.

BAM Racing will contest its first ever full NASCAR Winston Cup season in 2003 with veteran driver Ken Schrader taking control of the #49 Dodge Intrepid, thus giving the team some much needed stability.

Following a tumultuous 2002 season that saw no less than six drivers take the wheel of the white #49 Dodge Intrepid, BAM Racing goes into its first full season of NASCAR Winston Cup competition with one of the most stable dependable drivers on the circuit, 18 year Winston Cup veteran Ken Schrader.

Although the team struggled to make races in 2002, Schrader comes on board with the goal of solidifying BAM's place in the starting field and giving the crew regular and reliable feedback from which to work off.

The outfit, which is owned by husband/wife team Tony and Beth Ann Morgenthau, has yet to sign a primary sponsor for the full 36-race campaign but it is understood that the budget is in place for Schrader to begin his Daytona 500 plans. Schrader hasn't won a Winston Cup event since 1991 and finished 30th in last year's points table with the #36 M&M's Pontiac team.

After flirting around the Winston Cup scene in 2000, BAM Racing, owned by husband/wife team Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau, began 2001 with a 24-race schedule and Shawna Robinson driving at Daytona. In the midst of much fanfare Robinson not only qualified the car successfully but also raced to a 24th place finish, giving the team much cause for optimism.

However that would prove to be the high-water mark for the team last year as Robinson struggled to develop what was essentially a completely new package. In an effort to get extra feedback BAM hired Ron Hornaday for the Coca Cola 600 in May and before the end of the season, Derrike Cope, Stacy Compton, Kevin Lepage and Stuart Kirby had also seen seat time in the #49 machine.

Schrader's confirmation as the team's new driver means that his former team boss Andy Petree's situation looks even bleaker than before as Schrader was set to sign for APR with Federated Auto Parts. The move also narrows Bobby Hamilton's NWC opportunities even more as he had also been linked with the #49 drive. Hamilton now looks more and more likely to focus on his Craftsman Truck Series team next year although a possible drive with the #7 Ultra Motorsports team also remains an outside possibility.