Donny Schatz went back-to-back at Lernerville Speedway’s Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup Tuesday night, winning his second Silver Cup in as many World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series seasons and scoring his fifth overall.
Schatz, the third winningest driver in Outlaws history with 155 career WoO A-Feature wins, tied with two-time champion Mark Kinser for the most Silver Cup wins all-time.
“I’ve had a lot of good runs here,” Schatz said. “I’ve won this race several times – it’s always good to get the win. I’ve always had a lot of fun here.”
In addition to winning the $10,000 to win first feature, the five-time champion won a $5,000 bonus for taking home the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XXIII. This was Schatz’s ninth win of the season.
As the green flag flew on the first of the twin 30-lap features, Paul McMahan led early as Ed Lynch Jr. challenged for the lead. By lap five, both Daryn Pittman and Schatz, who started fifth, got around Lynch and set their sights on McMahan. Schatz took over the second place spot in his STP/Armor All car a lap later and began to reel in McMahan. Schatz briefly took over the lead on lap 12 before taking it over for good on lap 16.
As McMahan faded through the waning laps of the first feature, Kerry Madsen charged forward, trying to catch Schatz. He had one last shot following an open red with three to go, but he wasn’t able to close the gap.
Schatz said that his success at Lernerville Speedway comes in part from the fact that track fits his driving style.
“The surface has always been great here,” Schatz said. “It’s tough to get hold of. You have to have some finesse but yet be aggressive. That fits me.”