SCHATZ CONTINUES HOT STREAK WITH SECOND IN GRAND FORKS
GRAND FORKS, ND – (Aug. 17) After winning three consecutive races, Donny Schatz was looking to make it four straight on Friday night when the World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series returned to the high-banks of River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.
“We had a really good night,” said Schatz, who won two races at the Knoxville Nationals and Tuesday’s WoO event at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. “The STP guys put together a new car and this thing is just as good as what we just were running. They keep getting better and better. I thought maybe there at the end I could get Sammy, but I knew I had to be in tire-conserving mode in order to finish. We’ll keep working at it and see if we can come back Sunday and get back to victory lane.”
The four-time WoO champion had a strong evening behind the wheel of the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) No. 15 STP/Armor All/J&J qualifying first, for the second time in the last four WoO shows, finishing third in both the first heat and the dash.
He started the main event third and made a bid on the opening lap for the lead. Sammy Swindell would led the first few laps before Steve Kinser assumed the top spot. Schatz was right in the mix as the three cars battled for the lead during the first dozen laps. Kinser was squeezed out of the picture, bringing out a yellow when he came to a stop off turn two. On the restart, Schatz tried again to pressure Swindell for the lead, but with 15 laps remaining in the 40-lap race, it became a one-lane rubber down surface and Schatz simply had to stay in line. With a couple of laps remaining, Schatz did try to make the outside line work, but couldn’t make a pass on Swindell and finished second.
It was the eight straight top-five finish for Schatz. Seven of those finishes have been inside the top-three. He’ll continue his August surge Sunday at his home town track in Minot, N.D. The 35-year-old is still seeking his first WoO A-Feature victory at the 3/8-mile dirt oval.