Donny Schatz Scores His 21st Win of the Season at Kokomo Speedway
Gets around David Gravel and holds off a late charging Shane Stewart
KOKOMO, Ind. – Sept. 16, 2014 – Donny Schatz bounced back from six races off the podium to score his 21st World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series win of the season at Kokomo Speedway on Tuesday night.
The five-time champion and current points leader started fourth in the feature and after fighting his way forward on the start, battled past then leader David Gravel and managed to hold off a series of challengers through eight cautions and restarts.
He also had a little luck on his side, avoiding Brad Sweet who spun right in front of Schatz as the checkered flag flew.
“I tried to keep going there,” said Schatz of seeing the spin. “I didn’t know if he was going to come across. It happened. I’m glad it happened coming to the checkered.”
Schatz, who just two weeks earlier had an incredible six race win streak and 18 straight podium finishes, struggled as the series made its way down the West Coast and then returned to the Midwest. He credited his STP / Armor All team for going back to work to improve.
“The STP guys did a great job tonight,” Schatz said. “They finally got back to the shop, slept in their own beds for a few nights and really showed us tonight that they got this thing tuned up. Our car is really rotating well.”
Schatz said the win means a lot for his Indianapolis-based Tony Stewart Racing team.
“Well, this is about as close to home for the guys in the shop as it’s going to get,” Schatz said. “It’s great. We’ve got everyone from the shop here. This is like a hometown win for this race team. It’s always great to have that.”
“Everything was great tonight. I’m just happy to be standing here.”
Schatz extended his lead for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship to 222 over second place Daryn Pittman. Paul McMahan remains in third, 313 points out of the lead.
Kerry Madsen led the field to the green flag with David Gravel at his side. As the green flag fell, Schatz moved into third and battled Gravel for the second spot. Schatz found his way around but a caution quickly came out and reset the field. When the race returned to green, Gravel fought past Madsen and took over the lead as Schatz moved into the second.
Gravel kept the lead for just three laps before Schatz got around.
Cautions continued to plague the feature for the first half coming out a total of eight times throughout the night. Jac Haudenschild brought out a red flag after he got hung up on the wall in turn two. An open red was called, allowing teams to make minor adjustments to their cars.
As the feature wore on, Dale Blaney, who started in third, moved up and down within the top-five as Brad Sweet went on a charge, moving into the top-three on lap 17. As he battled Gravel for second, Sweet jumped the cushion and spun his car in turn three bringing out another caution and relegating him to the back of the field.
With another restart came another opportunity and Blaney fought past Gravel on the restart and took over the second spot. Meanwhile, Shane Stewart was battling forward, taking over the second spot from Gravel on lap 31.
With seven to go, Schatz caught the back of the field and began to make moves around lapped traffic, including his teammate, 20-time champion Steve Kinser.
“I got by Kraig (Kinser) and I was working on Steve and Kraig went back by both of us,” Schatz said. “Kraig got good on the bottom – I was trying to get by both of them at the same time. I didn’t know if someone was coming.”
Someone was coming – Dale Blaney.
“I had one shot at it and I kind of dove to the bottom and didn’t get a very good run off,” Blaney said.
With Stewart close behind, the move for the lead ultimately cost Blaney the second spot. Stewart, who was charging hard as the laps wound down closed the gap on Schatz but ultimately ran out of time.
“Yeah, the race clicked off really quick,” Stewart said. “I was really surprised to see the white flag.”
Stewart, who has two full points wins with the Outlaws this season, credited his GoPro team with heading back to North Carolina following their West Coast run and getting a new car ready for his run with the Outlaws this week.
“They’ve been working really, really hard for me and it’s greatly appreciated,” Stewart said. “I just had a good car. Steve made a few adjustments on that open red and I think it helped me. It’s one thing to catch Donny, but it’s another thing to pass him.”
Blaney, who came home third on Tuesday night, said he found a good groove on the bottom that helped him get the run on Schatz and then ultimately hold on to a podium finish.
“To come here and run an Outlaw race, and come here and run third and be competitive makes us feel good,” said Blaney who has one Outlaws win this season at Attica. “We’ll come back Friday night at Eldora and hopefully get after them again.”
The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series returns to action on Wednesday as it takes on the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track. After that, the series moves east for the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway on Sept. 19 and the Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway on Sept. 20.
Follow the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.
KOKOMO SPEEDWAY NOTES: Donny Schatz scored his 21st win of the season at Kokomo Speedway… Prior to his win Tuesday night, it had been six races since Schatz had a podium finish… Kerry Madsen, Dale Blaney, David Gravel and Donny Schatz all won their Heat races tonight… Paul McMahan received the KSE Hard Charger Award after advancing 10 positions to finish in eighth… Donny Schatz’s Kokomo win was his first at the track.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 21 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 6, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 19, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 27, I-96 Speedway on May 31, River Cities Speedway on June 20, 34 Raceway on June 27, Cedar Lake Speedway on June 29, Lernerville Speedway on July 15, Autodrome Drummond on July 26, Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 27, Ohsweken Speedway on July 29, Knoxville Raceway on Aug. 9, Junction Motor Speedway on Aug. 12, Nodak Speedway on Aug. 17, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, Skagit Speedway on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, Grays Harbor Raceway on Sept. 1 and Kokomo Speedway on Sept. 16); Daryn Pittman – 13 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Calistoga Speedway on April 6, Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 19, Williams Grove Speedway on May 16 and May 17, Orange County Fair Speedway, May 18, New Egypt Speedway, May 20, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 4 and 5, Lincoln Speedway on July 17, Fulton Speedway on July 23, River Cities Speedway on Aug. 15 and Southern Oregon Speedway on Sept. 3); Kerry Madsen – 6 (Stockton Dirt track on March 22, El Paso Speedway Park on April 15, Lakeside Speedway on June 7, Eldora Speedway on July 12 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 3 and Antioch Speedway on Sept. 8); Paul McMahan – 5 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 5, Tri-State Speedway on May 10, Limaland Motorsports Park on July 9, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 1 and Deer Creek Speedway on Sept. 13); Joey Saldana – 5 (Perris Auto Speedway on April 12, Salina Highbanks on April 25, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 23, I-80 Speedway on June 6 and Jackson Speedway on June 13); Brad Sweet – 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Tucson International Raceway on March 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 5, Knoxville Raceway on June 14 and Beaver Dam Raceway on June 28); David Gravel – 4 (Merced Speedway on March 28, Eldora Speedway on May 3, Wilmot Raceway on May 9 and Lebanon Valley Speedway on July 20); Cody Darrah – 2 (Kings Speedway on April 11 and Lernerville Speedway on July 15); Shane Stewart – 2 (Eldora Speedway on May 2 and Willamette Speedway on Sept. 2);Sammy Swindell – 2 (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on April 26 and Eldora Speedway on July 11);Rico Abreu – 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 15); Jonathan Allard – 1 (Silver Dollar Speedway, Sept. 6);Christopher Bell – 1 (Jacksonville Speedway on May 7); Dale Blaney – 1 (Attica Raceway Park on May 30);Roger Crockett – 1 (I-94 Speedway on June 21); Lance Dewease – 1 (July 20 at Williams Grove Speedway);Greg Hodnett – 1 (July 18 at Williams Grove Speedway); Mark Dobmeier – 1 (Huset’s Speedway on July 2);Kraig Kinser – 1 (Clay County Fair Speedway on Sept. 12); Steve Kinser – 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 16); Carson Macedo – 1 (Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 5); Stevie Smith – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 14).
World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Kokomo Speedway; Kokomo, Ind.; Sept. 16, 2014
A-Main – (40 Laps) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [4] [$6,000]; 2. 2-Shane Stewart [9] [$3,500]; 3. 14K-Dale Blaney [3] [$2,000]; 4. 83-David Gravel [2] [$1,800]; 5. 29-Kerry Madsen [1] [$1,500]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu [11] [$1,400]; 7. 4-Cody Darrah [7] [$1,350]; 8. 51-Paul McMahan [18] [$1,300]; 9. 9-Daryn Pittman [6] [$1,250]; 10. 71M-Joey Saldana [8] [$1,200]; 11. 53-Christopher Bell [21] [$900]; 12. 59-Tim Kaeding [19] [$800]; 13. 71X-Bryan Clauson [15] [$700]; 14. 7S-Jason Sides [24] [$650]; 15. 1ST-Gary Taylor [20] [$600]; 16. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [14] [$550]; 17. 11K-Kraig Kinser [25] [$]; 18. 49-Brad Sweet [5] [$500]; 19. 11-Steve Kinser [17] [$500]; 20. 18-Ian Madsen [16] [$500]; 21. 71-Jac Haudenschild [10] [$500]; 22. 99-Brady Bacon [22] [$500]; 23. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [12] [$500]; 24. 91-Cale Thomas [13] [$500]; 25. 3G-Dave Blaney [23] [$500]. Lap Leaders: Kerry Madsen 1-2, David Gravel 3-5, Donny Schatz 6-40. KSE Hard Charger Award: 51-Paul McMahan [+10]
Qualifying – 1. 4-Cody Darrah, 11.050; 2. 71M-Joey Saldana, 11.112; 3. 49-Brad Sweet, 11.176; 4. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.216; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman, 11.259; 6. 2-Shane Stewart, 11.278; 7. 71-Jac Haudenschild, 11.278; 8. 24-Rico Abreu, 11.315; 9. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 11.330; 10. 14K-Dale Blaney, 11.331; 11. 91-Cale Thomas, 11.352; 12. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 11.366; 13. 29-Kerry Madsen, 11.371; 14. 71X-Bryan Clauson, 11.384; 15. 83-David Gravel, 11.389; 16. 18-Ian Madsen, 11.390; 17. 11-Steve Kinser, 11.402; 18. 51-Paul McMahan, 11.418; 19. 59-Tim Kaeding, 11.465; 20. 1ST-Gary Taylor, 11.487; 21. 53-Christopher Bell, 11.512; 22. 99-Brady Bacon, 11.523; 23. 3G-Dave Blaney, 11.584; 24. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.616; 25. 4K-Kody Kinser, 11.688; 26. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 11.689; 27. 77X-Wayne Johnson, 11.690; 28. 4S-Danny Smith, 11.723; 29. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 11.735; 30. 12-Robert Ballou, 11.816; 31. 9P-Parker Price-Miller, 11.827; 32. W20-Greg Wilson, 11.912; 33. 85-Mike Terry Jr, 11.953; 34. 9W-Derek Hagar, 11.955; 35. 5H-Patrick Haynes, 12.147; 36. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.163; 37. 26-Dusty Williams, 27.635; 38. 5QB-Quentin Blonde, nt
Heat 1 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 29-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 4-Cody Darrah [4]; 3. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [2]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 5. 11-Steve Kinser [5]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [8]; 7. 4K-Kody Kinser [7]; 8. 85-Mike Terry Jr [9]; 9. 26-Dusty Williams [10]; 10. 53-Christopher Bell [6]
Heat 2 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 14K-Dale Blaney [2]; 2. 71X-Bryan Clauson [1]; 3. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 4. 71M-Joey Saldana [4]; 5. 51-Paul McMahan [5]; 6. 99-Brady Bacon [6]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7]; 8. 12-Robert Ballou [8]; 9. 9W-Derek Hagar [9]; 10. 5QB-Quentin Blonde [10]
Heat 3 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 83-David Gravel [1]; 2. 59-Tim Kaeding [5]; 3. 71-Jac Haudenschild [3]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 5. 91-Cale Thomas [2]; 6. 3G-Dave Blaney [6]; 7. 77X-Wayne Johnson [7]; 8. 9P-Parker Price-Miller [8]; 9. 5H-Patrick Haynes [9]
Heat 4 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 2. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu [3]; 4. 1ST-Gary Taylor [5]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [6]; 6. 4S-Danny Smith [7]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [8]; 8. 18-Ian Madsen [1]; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [9]
Dash – (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 29-Kerry Madsen [2]; 2. 83-David Gravel [1]; 3. 14K-Dale Blaney [3]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 6. 9-Daryn Pittman [4]; 7. 4-Cody Darrah [8]; 8. 71M-Joey Saldana [7]
C-Main – (10 Laps – Top 2 finishers transfer to the Last Chance Showdown) – 1. 9P-Parker Price-Miller [1] [-]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [2] [-]; 3. 9W-Derek Hagar [4] [$125]; 4. 85-Mike Terry Jr [3] [$125]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [6] [$125]; 6. 5H-Patrick Haynes [5] [$100]; 7. 26-Dusty Williams [7] [$100]; 8. 5QB-Quentin Blonde [8] [$100]
Last Chance Showdown – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 53-Christopher Bell [2] [-]; 2. 99-Brady Bacon [3] [-]; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [1] [-]; 4. 3G-Dave Blaney [4] [-]; 5. 77X-Wayne Johnson [7] [$200]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6] [$180]; 7. 4S-Danny Smith [8] [$175]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [12] [$160]; 9. 9P-Parker Price-Miller [11] [$150]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9] [$150]; 11. 4K-Kody Kinser [5] [$150]; 12. 12-Robert Ballou [10] [$150]