VADO, New Mexico (January 12, 2021) – Donny Schatz kicked off his 2022 season over the weekend in his Schatz Crossroads / Fastlane Car Wash / Rocket XR1 Late Model at the Wild West Shootout at Vado Speedway Park.
Schatz began the weekend on Saturday night by timing in fourth quick in group one, which set up a second-place finish in his heat.
Schatz started seventh on the grid for the 40-lap feature and, after battling with veterans Cade Dillard, Tyler Erb, Rodney Sanders and Johnny Scott, Schatz crossed under the checkers in the 10th position.
Racing continued Sunday evening and Schatz once again turned in a stout qualifying lap, putting him third quickest in group two. Just like the previous night, Schatz started and finished second in his heat, putting him sixth in the lineup for another 40-lap main event.
Schatz battled Dillard and Brandon Sheppard for the fifth position throughout the majority of the race. Past the halfway point, it looked as though Schatz was in good position to capture a top five finish. However, damage to the left front of the car with 15 to go dashed those hopes as Schatz nursed the car to an 11th place finish.
Following a 15th place run in the A-main on his preliminary night at the Chili Bowl on Tuesday, Schatz will head back to Vado Speedway Park tonight for night three of the Wild West Shootout. Schatz will also race Friday night at Vado, before heading back to the Chili Bowl for championship night on Saturday.
Last Saturday night’s race was the first time Schatz competed in his Late Model since August 25th at River Cities Speedway with the NLRA Late Models. Schatz was set to compete with the World of Outlaws Morton Building Late Models at the World Finals in November, but early engine problems kept him out of competition for the weekend.
Donny Schatz Motorsports would like to thank the following sponsors for their continued support.
Schatz Crossroads, JMS Motorsports, Fargo Petro, Fastlane Car Wash, Turn 200 Productions, Dakota Cat Motorsports, TP Fabricating, K3 Farms, C&R Racing, Mobil 1, Rocket Chassis
Photo Credit: Tyler Rinken