Donny Schatz Kicks Off 2021 All Star Sprint Season With Win At Screven Motor Sports Complex

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – SYLVANIA, GA – Ten-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, Donny Schatz, etched his name in sprint car racing history books yet again, this time by claiming the first round of the inaugural Sugarlands Shine Southern Tour presented by Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Georgia.

Schatz, who now owns 19-career All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victories, scored his triumph from the outside of row two, eventually working by Indianapolis, Indiana’s Tyler Courtney to take control on lap 18. The Fargo, North Dakota-native earned $8,000 for his efforts, also solidifying a first-ever All Star win in Sylvania.

“It’s great to be back racing, first and foremost,” Donny Schatz said in Screven victory lane, driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Carquest Auto Parts/Curb Records/Ford Performance/No. 15 sprint car. “Hats off to this entire Carquest team. These guys have been digging and working as hard as they can to get the car better. All of these preseason races are great for us because it gives us an opportunity to try some things. I just tried to go where the car in front of me wasn’t and it all worked out.”

Before Schatz took command on lap 18, it was a shootout for the top spot. Former ASCS national champion, Sam Hafertepe, Jr., took command from the outside-pole position to lead the first two circuits, eventually overtaken by Wooster, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild with a wicked slider through turns three and four on lap three. Haudenschild’s campaign at the front of the field was short-lived, as the pilot of the Stenhouse Jr Marshall Racing No. 17 was forced to spin to avoid involvement in an incident involving lap cars; Sam Hafertepe, Jr. inherited control on lap seven.

All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 rookie contender, Tyler Courtney was next to throw his hat into the ring, making his move around Hafertepe to earn the race lead on lap 15. Courtney was a threat on a few attempts prior to his official takeover, but Hafertepe was able to fend off the charge.

Meanwhile, Donny Schatz lurked just behind the pair of front-runners. Utilizing the very bottom groove of Screven Motor Speedway, the ten-time WoO champ followed Courtney by Hafertepe on lap 16, only to miss a slide job attempt on Courtney on lap 17. Schatz redeemed himself the next circuit and squeezed by Courtney at the exit of turn four to take control.

“We knew the top was going to be good. I just tried to find a line that was going to work the best for us,” Schatz continued. “This surface changed so much over the course of the race and it actually got a lot slicker than I thought it would. It really came in nice for me through the middle and bottom. You could really go anywhere.”

Aaron Reutzel finished second on Friday night after a late move around Courtney on lap 24, followed by Tyler Courtney, Carson Short, and Sam Hafertepe, Jr.

Screven Motor Speedway’s Winter Freeze XI will continue on Saturday evening, January 30, with a second, full program featuring the All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1. The two-day Sugarlands Shine Southern Tour presented by Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts finale will award a $10,000 top prize.

For those who can not make the journey to Georgia and Florida for the seven-day/six-race All Star Southern Tour, FloRacing, the official media partner and live broadcast provider of the All Star Circuit of Champions, has you covered. Each and every event on the 2021 All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 schedule will be broadcast live exclusively at www.floracing.com.

Contingency Awards/Results: Screven Motor Speedway – January 29, 2020:
Event: Sugarlands Shine Southern Tour presented by Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts | Winter Freeze XI
Entries: 34
C&R Racing Warm-Ups: Sheldon Haudenschild | 14.455
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Donny Schatz | 13.216
Ford Performance Heat #1 Winner: Anthony Macri
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2 Winner: Carson Short
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3 Winner: Sam Hafertepe, Jr.
Mobil 1 Heat #4 Winner: Sheldon Haudenschild
Kear’s Speed Shop Dash #1 Winner: Sheldon Haudenschild
Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts Dash #2 Winner: Sam Hafertepe, Jr.
Classic Ink USA Screenprinting & Embroidery B-Main Winner: Kyle Reinhardt
Rayce Rudeen Foundation First Non-Transfer: Carson McCarl
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet A-Main Winner: Donny Schatz
Hercules Tire A-Main Hard Charger: Aaron Reutzel (+5)
Sugarlands Shine Lap 21 Leader: Donny Schatz

Qualifying

Group (A)
1. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg, 14.339; 2. 25-Chris Myers, 14.370; 3. 73-Scotty Thiel, 14.512; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri, 14.540; 5. 33M-Mason Daniel, 14.742; 6. 101-Kerry Madsen, 14.819; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 14.872; 8. 49H-Bradley Howard, 14.975; 9. 48-Danny Dietrich, 15.364

Group (B)
1. 26-Cory Eliason, 14.109; 2. 21-Carson Short, 14.165; 3. 14R-Sean Rayhall, 14.366; 4. 11-Ian Madsen, 14.401; 5. 1-Jamie Myers, 14.535; 6. 14-Tony Stewart, 14.542; 7. O8-Brandon Conkel, 14.835; 8. 22C-Cole Duncan, 14.900; 9. 75-Tyler Ross, 14.913

Group (C)
1. 18-Gio Scelzi, 13.732; 2. 13-Justin Peck, 13.963; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 13.971; 4. 5-Brent Marks, 14.532; 5. 27-Carson McCarl, 14.856; 6. 28-Skylar Gee, 15.032; 7. 70-Nick Tucker, 15.164; 8. 4-Danny Smith, 15.540

Group (D)
1. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.216; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 13.595; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.608; 4. 83-Aaron Reutzel, 13.926; 5. 3C-Cale Conley, 14.032; 6. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 14.259; 7. 18J-RJ Jacobs, 14.307; 8. 27c-Craig Pellegrini, 15.316

Heat #1 – Group (A) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 39M-Anthony Macri [1]; 2. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [4]; 3. 101-Kerry Madsen [6]; 4. 73-Scotty Thiel [2]; 5. 33M-Mason Daniel [5]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7]; 7. 48-Danny Dietrich [9]; 8. 25-Chris Myers [3]; 9. 49H-Bradley Howard [8]

Heat #2 – Group (B) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 21-Carson Short [3]; 2. 11-Ian Madsen [1]; 3. 14R-Sean Rayhall [2]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [4]; 5. 14-Tony Stewart [6]; 6. 75-Tyler Ross [9]; 7. 22C-Cole Duncan [8]; 8. 1-Jamie Myers [5]; 9. O8-Brandon Conkel [7]

Heat #3 – Group (C) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [2]; 2. 5-Brent Marks [1]; 3. 13-Justin Peck [3]; 4. 18-Gio Scelzi [4]; 5. 28-Skylar Gee [6]; 6. 27-Carson McCarl [5]; 7. 4-Danny Smith [8]; 8. 70-Nick Tucker [7]

Heat #4 – Group (D) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 3. 83-Aaron Reutzel [1]; 4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [3]; 5. 3C-Cale Conley [5]; 6. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [6]; 7. 18J-RJ Jacobs [7]; 8. 27C-Craig Pellegrini [8]

Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [1]; 3. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [4]; 4. 83-Aaron Reutzel [3]; 5. 26-Cory Eliason [5]

Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 3. 21-Carson Short [2]; 4. 18-Gio Scelzi [3]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri [5]

B-Main (12 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer
1. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [1]; 2. 18J-RJ Jacobs [2]; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser [4]; 4. 48-Danny Dietrich [7]; 5. 27-Carson McCarl [3]; 6. 25-Chris Myers [9]; 7. 75-Tyler Ross [5]; 8. 22C-Cole Duncan [6]; 9. 49H-Bradley Howard [14]; 10. 4-Danny Smith [8]; 11. 70-Nick Tucker [11]; 12. 1-Jamie Myers [10]; 13. O8-Brandon Conkel [13]; 14. 27C-Craig Pellegrini [12]

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 2. 83-Aaron Reutzel [7]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [3]; 4. 21-Carson Short [6]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [2]; 6. 26-Cory Eliason [9]; 7. 18-Gio Scelzi [8]; 8. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [5]; 9. 13-Justin Peck [13]; 10. 11-Ian Madsen [11]; 11. 5-Brent Marks [12]; 12. 101-Kerry Madsen [15]; 13. 14-Tony Stewart [18]; 14. 33M-Mason Daniel [19]; 15. 3C-Cale Conley [17]; 16. 39M-Anthony Macri [10]; 17. 18J-RJ Jacobs [22]; 18. 73-Scotty Thiel [16]; 19. 48-Danny Dietrich [24]; 20. 28-Skylar Gee [20]; 21. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1]; 22. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [21]; 23. 11K-Kraig Kinser [23]; 24. 14R-Sean Rayhall [14] Lap Leaders: Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (1, 2), Sheldon Haudenschild (3-6), Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (7-14), Tyler Courtney (15-17), Donny Schatz (18-30)