Dates: Wednesday and Thursday, February 27 & 28
Event: FVP Platinum Battery Showdown presented by Star Nursery
Series: World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
Track: The Dirt Track at Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Donny Schatz A-Main Finishes (Start):
Wednesday: 3rd (11th)
Thursday: 1st (1st)
2019 World of Outlaws Championship Standings: 2nd – 578 points (four points behind current leader, Daryn Pittman)
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (March 4, 2019) – It only took four starts for Fargo, North Dakota’s Donny Schatz to drive his way to World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory lane, earning his place on top of the feature podium during a visit to The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on Thursday, February 28.
Including his victory on Thursday, Schatz’s two-day visit to Sin City resulted in back-to-back podium finishes for the ten-time and defending World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, initiating the week with an impressive climb from 11th to finish third on Wednesday, February 27.
“It was a solid week for this team. I think we were good enough to win on Wednesday, but to battle back and get a win on Thursday feels just as nice,” Donny Schatz explained, driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Rush Truck Centers/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/Absolute Automation & Security/No. 15 sprint car. “It feels good to get that first win of the season. All we can do now is keep working and find ways to keep winning. Lucky for me, I work with a team that makes that possible week in and week out.”
Donny Schatz’s podium run on Wednesday was the result of perseverance and determination. Forced to start 11th after failing to qualify for the evening’s dash, the result of a third place finish during heat race competition, Schatz charged forward in a hurry, actually advancing his way into the top-five by lap 15 of the 30-lap program. Although a clear candidate for top honors, Schatz was forced to settle for third, battling his way into the final podium spot with just one circuit remaining.
Although Schatz started from the pole position on Thursday night, the product of a dash victory and a runner-up finish during heat race competition, it was not an easy 30 laps for the defending World of Outlaws champion, eventually losing the top spot to Daryn Pittman on lap 14 after leading from the drop of the initial green.
Soon forced to do battle on an abrasive, rubbered-up racing surface, Schatz never surrendered and eventually reeled Pittman back in. Allowing lapped traffic to do most of the work, Schatz made his winning pass on the final circuit; a slingshot move on the highside of turns three and four while Pittman was caught behind slower cars. The highside move worked and proved to be worth $10,000.
“I didn’t think we’d get [Pittman],” Schatz continued. “But we hit traffic on the last corner. He went [low], and I was going the other place. It was either win it or wear it, and luckily, we won it.”
Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing will continue their 2019 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series campaign with a pair of starts at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., on Friday and Saturday, March 8 & 9. Schatz will enter the weekend second in the World of Outlaws championship standings, a mere-four points behind Daryn Pittman.
Schatz finished third during his 2018 Thunderbowl Raceway appearance, improving two positions after starting fifth.
ADDITIONAL MEDIA:
Fans are encouraged to follow the progress of Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing and the No. 15 Rush Truck Centers/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/Absolute Automation & Security/J&J Auto Racing motorsports team on the Web and on social media. More information can be found at www.tonystewartracing.com, as well as at www.donnyschatzmotorsports.com.
Tony Stewart Racing: Facebook at www.facebook.com/TonyStewartRacing or on Twitter and Instagram @TonyStewart_Rcg.
Donny Schatz: Facebook at www.facebook.com/DonnySchatz or on Twitter and Instagram @DonnySchatz.
Watch Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart Racing live during each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event of 2019 at www.dirtvision.com.
| 2019 Donny Schatz / Tony Stewart Racing Statistics: (thru March 4, 2019) |
| World of Outlaws Races: 4 |
| World of Outlaws Wins: 1 |
| World of Outlaws Top-5s: 4 |
| World of Outlaws Top-10s: 4 |
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CONTACT:
Photo: DB3IMAGING
Tyler Altmeyer
Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com