INDIANAPOLIS (July 25, 2017) – Surviving a season on the rugged World of Outlaws (WoO) Craftsman Sprint Car Series tour is a major accomplishment, and achieving the highest levels of success takes a lot of hard work. The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing (TSR) team continues to chase new challenges while pursuing its fourth consecutive WoO championship. This week, TSR’s Donny Schatz will look make it six consecutive years with a WoO victory north of the border and also try to add Hartford (Mich.) Speedway and Wilmot (Wis.) Raceway to the list of tracks where he’s scored a WoO win.

The eight-time and reigning WoO champion leads the Outlaws back to the Canadian province of Ontario for tonight’s Arrow Express Six Nations Showdown as a four-time winner at Ohsweken Speedway. The driver of the TSR No. 15 Arctic Cat/Ford Performance/Curb J&J has competed in all 11 previous WoO events at the 3/8-mile, dirt oval. Last July, he and his TSR crew of Rick Warner, Steve Swenson, and Brad Mariscotti came out victorious in the 30-lap A-Feature and look to be the only winners in Canada in 2017. Tuesday’s stop at Ohsweken is the only opportunity to continue a streak of scoring at least one WoO A-Feature in Canada that started in July 2012, when he scored a flag-to-flag triumph at Cornwall (Ont.) Speedway.

Schatz has captured victories in three of his last four starts at Ohsweken, which included continuing a TSR winning streak from 2011 through 2014. Tony Stewart earned his first career WoO A-Feature win at the track in July 2011 and won again in 2012 before Schatz reeled off back-to-back triumphs in 2013 and 2014. Schatz finished second in 2015 and was part of thrilling three-car battle for the victory last July.

Following Tuesday’s venture into Canada, Schatz and the team will travel to Hartford Speedway for Friday night’s “Battle of Michigan.” In five previous starts at the newly reconfigured 3/8-mile, dirt oval in southwest Michigan, Schatz has finished second on three occasions, including his debut at the track in 2003 and again last September. He is looking to make Hartford the 82nd different dirt track where he’s scored a WoO A-Feature win during his 21 seasons of competition with “The Greatest Show on Dirt.”

The week of action concludes Saturday night with the Badger 40 at Wilmot Raceway. Schatz first competed with the Outlaws at the track late in the 2006 season. He finished sixth in his first appearance just three weeks before claiming his first WoO championship. In his first season driving for TSR in 2008, Schatz chased race leader Daryn Pittman but came up short in his bid for victory. He finished ninth in 2014 and came home second again at the track last August.

Schatz and the Arctic Cat/Ford Performance team continue to lead the way in the 2017 WoO championship standings on the strength of their series-leading 15 WoO A-Feature triumphs. Through 50 of the scheduled 92 events, the team has earned 7,030 points and holds a 76-point advantage over Kasey Kahne Racing’s Brad Sweet.

 

SCHATZ FAST FACTS: OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY

  • Schatz finished second in his first three starts at Ohsweken before finishing third on July 30, 2010. Following a rainout on July 31, Schatz scored his first win at the track on Aug. 1, 2010.
  • In 11 starts at the track, Schatz has four wins, 10 top-fives and 11 top-10s.
  • He has led laps in the A-Feature in each of the past four years, winning three races (2013, 2014, 2016) and finishing second (2015) in the other.
  • Schatz has 11 career WoO A-Feature triumphs in Canada. Four each at Ohsweken and Castrol Raceway in Edmonton; two at Cornwall and one at Autodromme Drummond in Quebec.

 

ENTER TO WIN A DONNY SCHATZ-THEMED HDX
Winning races and a World of Outlaws championship isn’t the only goal in 2017 for TSR, Arctic Cat and Donny Schatz. There is shared passion to reach greatness without limits. And fans are encouraged to join the ultimate limitless ride by entering to win a customized, one-of-a-kind Donny Schatz-themed Arctic Cat HDX 700 through Oct. 1. Go to www.arcticcat.com/donnyschatzhdx for the chance to win the customized all-terrain vehicle by random draw.

 
The grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to the Outlaws’ season-ending World Finals in Charlotte, including participation in a prerace ceremony. The winners will receive tickets to the World Finals and receive the keys to the Donny Schatz-themed HDX from the eight-time champion during pre-event ceremonies.

 

RACE NOTES

 

Tuesday at Ohsweken, the pit gates open at noon EDT. The grandstands will open at 3 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit ohswekenspeedway.ca or call 519-717-0023.

 

For Friday’s “Battle of Michigan”, the pit gates open at 3 p.m. EDT. The grandstands will open at 4 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit hartfordspeedway.net or call 269-621-4482.

 

On Saturday at Wilmot Raceway, the pit gates open at 2 p.m. EDT. The grandstands will open at 4 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit www.wilmotraceway.com or call 815-344-2023.

 

Race fans unable to attend this week’s races can catch all of the action on DIRTVision.com. Free audio coverage is available as Johnny Gibson, “Voice of the Outlaws,” calls the action as he does at all WoO Craftsman Sprint Car Series events on the DIRTVision.com. Visit to DIRTVision.com for more information.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Fans are encouraged to follow the progress of Schatz, TSR and the No. 15 Arctic Cat/Ford Performance/Curb J&J throughout the campaign on the web and social media. More information can be found at www.TonyStewartRacing.com, www.arcticcat.com, and 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.

Arctic Cat: Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArcticCat or on Twitter and Instagram @ArcticCat_atv @ArcticCat_Snow

Curb: Facebook at www.facebook.com/CurbRecords or on Twitter and Instagram @CurbRecords.

Ford Performance: Facebook at www.facebook.com/FordPerformance or on Twitter and Instagram @FordPerformance.

 

Donny Schatz, Driver of the No. 15 TSR Arctic Cat/Ford Performance/Curb J&J:

 

The annual trip to Ohsweken is up next as you continue the Outlaws’ busy July schedule. The races at Ohsweken have been extremely competitive and you have been very successful there during the last 10 years. What’s been the biggest reason for both?

 

“It starts with having a well-operated facility. Glenn Styres and his family do a great job of giving us a great racing surface when we go there every year. It usually works out to be a pretty wide racing surface where guys can run the top, bottom and through the middle. I’ve just had the good fortune of being surrounded by really good people who give me a fast racecar. I can remember our first trip up there in 2007 and the place was really racy from the start. After the first couple of years, I wasn’t sure if I was going to win there after running second so many times. We just hung in there and figured out the best way to get around there. It’s definitely been good to TSR, as well. Tony won his first Outlaw race up there and actually won two years in a row. I really enjoy racing at Ohsweken. It’s a stop that I always look forward to. After a couple nights of rain, we are certainly looking forward to getting back on the track tonight.”

 

You mentioned finishing second a number of times at Ohsweken before breaking through and winning there. You’ve been second a couple of times at both Hartford and Wilmot. What’s the key to breaking through at those two places this weekend?  

 

“There is no magic formula for winning races at any particular track. You simply have to outwork the competition. These guys (Rick Warner, Steve Swenson and Brad Mariscotti) are incredible and have a passion for winning that is off the charts. They put in the work before, during and after the races to put us in a position to challenge for wins. They’ve been working on giving us a chance to win at Ohsweken and then, after the races, they’ll head back to the shop and turn the attention toward Hartford. We’ve had some good runs at Hartford. Last fall, we were really good there all night and just came up one spot short. They’ve changed the track around now, so we’ll have to see if we can be the first one to figure it out. Same deal with Wilmot. It’s a little track and I’m sure there will be a cushion to manipulate, but we love the challenge. We want to win every night and having a chance to do so is what we’re shooting for.”