From J&J
McKENZIE, TN – (Sept. 19) With the racing season working its way towards championship time, J&J Auto Racing teams continue to score wins against some of the best competition. Donny Schatz continued his torrid pace with the World of Outlaws scoring a win and second, while reigning All-Star champion Tim Shaffer was dominant in the prestigious Jim Ford Classic at Fremont Speedway. DJ Foos joined the victory parade by racing to his 11th victory of the season in Fremont’s 305 division.
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Donny Schatz continued his late-season surge winning his 10th World of Outlaws (WoO) A-Feature of the season at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa on Friday night. The driver of the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) No. 15 STP/Armor All/Chevrolet J&J raced from the seventh-starting spot in the 30-lap A-Feature and took the lead with two laps remaining.
“Right now, we’ve got things going,” said Schatz. “We are doing our best to win races and doing our best to finish second when we can’t win them. We know there is a long way to go, and we have quite a few big races still coming up. These STP guys are doing the right things and making the right adjustments. They have a lot figured out and it’s a good time for everything to be coming together.”
Schatz followed up Friday’s win with a run from 17th to second in Saturday’s WoO feature event at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. The finish continued a torrid pace the four-time WoO champion is on since his victory on July 29 at Cornwall (Ontario) Motor Speedway. He has started 22 races, winning eight times, finishing first or second 14 times and only twice finishing outside the top-five. The surge has allowed him to recover from a 44-point deficit in the standings and build a 96-point lead heading into the final 10 races.
ALL-STARS
Tim Shaffer and the CH Motorsports team have been consistently fast all season, but haven’t won as many races as they would’ve liked to. Saturday at Fremont (Ohio) Speedway the team was not going to be denied and the three-time All-Star champion dominated the last half of the 50-lap race behind the wheel of the Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned No. 83 J&J and pocketed the $10,000 for scoring the victory.
“This feels so good,” said Shaffer, following his sixth All-Star win of the season and 51st UNOH All-Star triumph of his career. “It’s been awhile. This year it seems like we’ve run seconds and thirds which is not a bad year. But, you want to win…you’re used to winning, it just feels great.”
Shaffer started second and was patient early in the 50-lap race. On lap 16, he was battling for the lead and on lap 17 he took command. He was making his way through traffic at the half-way point and continued making his way through traffic until lap 37 when a caution slowed the action. Three laps later another caution halted Shaffer’s command of the race. With a clear track ahead of him following the final restart, Shaffer set sail and earned his 12th career win at Fremont.
“It was just one of those nights,” continued Shaffer. “It was my night and it worked out. My hats off to my guys and this CH Motorsports team. I have great owners and a great crew and it’s really fun to be back up here. We have just kept working harder and harder at it. It feels great. It feels back like it used to be. It just takes time for people to work together and gel together.”
Danny Holtgraver finished third in the No. D4 Kargo Quality Cars/Alternative Power Source/DKW Transport sponsored J&J to give J&J a pair of podium finishers.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been standing up here talking to you after a feature at Fremont,” admitted Holtgraver, on the PA system following the race. “We will take it. We had a heck of a race going there for a long time…it was fun.”
FREMONT SPEEDWAY
DJ Foos won his 11th feature event of the season on Saturday night at Fremont Speedway and clinched the FAST championship for 305 sprints. Foos piloted the Buckshot Farms/Schiets Motorsports/Tender Touch Car Wash/Automatic Fire Protection/Pit Stop Carryouts No. 11F J&J into the lead on lap 10 in the Fremont Federal Credit Unito 305 Sprint feature. The victory was his sixth this season at Fremont.
TRACK CHAMPIONS
J&J Auto Racing would like to congratulate Eric Williams for winning the 410 track championship at Mercer Raceway Park.