What A Week Of Racing For Donny Schatz & His Tony Stewart Racing Team
Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / TONY STEWART RACING – BROWNSBURG, IN – Capturing a total winner’s share equaling $72,000 in less than a week, Fargo, North Dakota’s Donny Schatz concluded his recent four-race stretch with four straight podium finishes, three of which resulting in trips to victory lane.
Schatz, driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Textron Off Road/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/No. 15 sprint car, earned his trio of recent victories during action at Attica Raceway Park and Eldora Speedway, respectively, increasing his World of Outlaws win total to 14 on the season, 17 overall, and concluding his week with an unprecedented third consecutive Kings Royal victory at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
“I have the privilege of working with the best team in sprint car racing. I’m just the lucky guy who gets the drive the car,” Donny Schatz said at Eldora Speedway. “To win events like the Kings Royal is really special. I’m not so sure we were the best car, especially during the last ten laps of the feature, but things worked out how they were supposed to for us. The format really acted in our favor tonight. All we can do now is move forward and work to keep this momentum going in the right direction.”
Donny Schatz kicked-off his stretch of action in the Buckeye State with a victory at Attica Raceway Park on Tuesday, July 10, claiming a fourth-career Brad Doty Classic title. The nine-time and defending World of Outlaws champion started fourth on the feature grid, taking the top spot officially on lap 22 of 40 after race-long leader Brent Marks suffered from a flat right-rear tire. Schatz earned his second row starting spot after winning his respective heat race and finishing second during the second dash.
Schatz continued his Ohio swing with three nights of Kings Royal competition at Eldora Speedway on Thursday through Saturday, July 12-14. After a third place finish to kick-off the weekend on Thursday during the Jokers Wild program, Schatz doubled-up with back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday, first earning $12,000 during the Knight Before the Kings Royal program after starting third on the feature grid. Schatz took command early, working around former Knoxville Raceway champion, Brian Brown, on lap 10 of 30.
The weekend concluded in a big way for the current World of Outlaws championship point leader, dominating heat race competition before capturing an unprecedented third consecutive Kings Royal title worth $50,000. Although impressive, starting fourth and taking the lead from pole-sitter Trey Starks as early as lap 15, Schatz was not completely invincible during the 40-lap weekend finale, forced to withstand last lap pressure from Kasey Kahne Racing’s Brad Sweet and Wooster, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild. Utilizing the bottom groove while Sweet worked the top, Schatz crossed under the final checkers less than a car length ahead of the California native. There were 51 cars in attendance.
Up next on the agenda, Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart Racing will continue the “Month of Money” with four stops in the Keystone State, first visiting Lernerville Speedway in Sarver for the annual Silver Cup on Tuesday, July 17. Schatz is the defending Silver Cup champion at the Western Pennsylvania venue, taking command over Sheldon Haudenschild with five circuits remaining in 2017.
The weekend will continue on Thursday, July 19, with the rescheduled Gettysburg Clash at Lincoln Speedway, followed by the two-day Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday and Saturday, July 20 & 21. The Summer Nationals finale will award a $20,000 top prize.
