Donny Schatz Sweeps World Of Outlaws North Dakota Visit; Black Hills & Big Sky Ahead
Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / TONY STEWART RACING – BROWNSBURG, IN – A perfect outcome for the nearby Fargo native, Donny Schatz swept World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series competition in his home state of North Dakota during the recent weekend, ultimately going back-to-back during starts at River Cities Speedway and Red River Valley Speedway on Friday and Saturday, August 17 & 18, respectively.
For Schatz, the perfect weekend boosted his season win count to 17 during World of Outlaws competition, 19 overall, as well as increased his top-five count to a staggering 37 in 48 Series starts. The nine-time and defending World of Outlaws champion now owns a championship point lead equalling 238 markers over Kasey Kahne Racing’s Brad Sweet.
“That’s what we are out here to do. I can’t say enough about how lucky I am to be with this team. They are the best in the world at what they do. I’m just the lucky guy who gets to drive the car,” Donny Schatz said about his victories in North Dakota. “I’m proud of what we are able to accomplish. These guys are always prepared and they are always ready to perform at the highest level. It’s exciting to win this close to home. I have a lot of memories in this area. I’m excited to add more to the list.”
Schatz, driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Textron Off Road/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/No. 15 sprint car, kicked-off his weekend in North Dakota with action at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks on Friday, August 17. Taking advantage of Brad Sweet’s misfortune, Schatz inherited the top spot on lap 28 when Sweet spun while leading the field. Although gifted the lead, Schatz was forced to withstand pressure from a hard-charging local favorite, Mark Dobmeier, who climbed ahead from 17th to second before challenging Schatz for the lead. The River Cities victory was Schatz’s seventh in eight starts at the speedway.
World of Outlaws action resumed on Saturday evening, August 18, at the Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo. After starting third on the feature grid, Schatz was able to advance a pair of spots and take command officially on lap 23 of 30, actually utilizing a single-file restart to drive underneath race leader, David Gravel, as the pair battled down the back straightaway.
The evening at Red River Valley Speedway nearly resulted in a clean sweep for Schatz, first setting the evening’s fastest time during qualifying time trials, then winning his respective heat race, each before capturing the $10,000 payday.
Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart Racing will continue their 2018 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series campaign on Friday and Saturday, August 24 & 25, with a pair of starts in South Dakota and Montana, first visiting Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, S.D., for the Rushmore Outlaw Showdown. Moving further west on the map, the Greatest Show On Dirt will invade Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Mont., on Saturday evening; the first and only Montana visit of 2018. Schatz visited Black Hills and Big Sky in 2017, each resulting in top-five finishes; a fourth place finish in South Dakota followed by a third place performance in Montana.
