SCHATZ CONTINUES CALIFORNIA SUCCESS WITH FLAG-TO-FLAG WIN
CALISTOGA, Calif (Sept. 9) – There’s nothing like winning races, and it seems Donny Schatz and his STP crew just can’t get enough of it. Sunday night the driver of the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) No. 15 STP/Armor All/Chevrolet continued his surge on the World of Outlaws tour leading all 25 laps of Sunday’s A-Feature at Calistoga Speedway. The win was his second in the Golden State during the Outlaw’s California Speedweek.
“We’re on attack mode,” Schatz said, following his ninth A-Feature victory of the season and 122nd of his career. “These guys (Rick Warner, Steve Swenson, and Eric Prutzman) definitely got their game face on. They’ve got an awesome machine behind me and we’ve got our motors running really good, so we’re happy.”
With a very fast surface on the half-mile dirt oval located in scenic Napa Valley, Schatz wasn’t going to waste any time. He jumped in to the lead from the start and set a torrid pace. A mid-race red flag was the only thing that slowed down the four-time WoO champion. He qualified third in the field of 22 and came home second in the dash, which set the starting lineup for the 25-lap feature.
The victory followed Saturday night’s runner-up finish in the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway. It also continued a string of top-five finishes that improved to six consecutive and 17 out of the last 19 races. That consistency has allowed him to regain the points lead as he chases his fifth WoO title. He currently holds a 50-point lead over Craig Dollansky.
With only 12 races remaining, the team hopes to continue running up front and having chances to win every night beginning in Antioch Monday.