Schatz Muscles Way to World of Outlaws Brad Doty Classic Victory

By Kyle Luetters

LIMA, Ohio — July 13, 2011 — On a night where young guns seemed to rule the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic at Limaland Motorsports Park, it was four-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz who proved experience is crucial when it comes taking the checkered flag. Schatz charged through the field, battling Brad Sweet and Sam Hafertepe Jr., before finally securing the lead on Lap 32 to score his third win of the season, and move back atop the series standings.

“Tonight was a ton of fun,” said Schatz, of Fargo, N.D., who moves past his childhood hero Doug Wolfgang on the all-time win list with his 108 th victory. “The track developed a low, middle and high groove which made it awesome for us racers. Hats off to my team and everyone involved with this STP/Armor All/ Chevrolet J&J. We really like winning and doing it the way we did it tonight made it even better. Brad (Sweet) and Sam (Hafertepe Jr.) made it interesting and I really had a blast.”

(Click here for an interview with Schatz after his victory)

The 40-lap event saw drivers from all corners of the racing world contest the quarter-mile oval, including Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart. Early in the feature it was Hafertepe who looked like he might be strong enough to win his first World of Outlaws event, but after a caution on the fifth lap Sweet surged to the front and started to pull away for what would have been his first victory with the Outlaws.

That’s when it got really wild, as is usually the case with the Outlaws on a quarter-mile oval. Coming off a restart with 14 laps to go, Sweet, Schatz and Haftertepe went three-wide for the lead. First Schatz inched ahead, then Sweet slid ahead, then Schatz, then Sweet again. Finally, with 8 to go, Schatz moved to the point for good with Hafertepe surging ahead of Sweet as those three raced to the checkered flag. Defending race winner Dale Blaney and Paul McMahan rounded out the top five, with McMahan earning his eighth quick time of the season by topping qualifying.

“Donny ran an awesome race tonight and there is no shame in finishing second to him,” said Hafertepe, of Sunnyvale, Texas. “There were a few times I could have done some things different and possibly won this race. We came close a few years ago so we really wanted this one. However, we’re happy with this and look forward to getting to the Kings Royal this weekend.”

Sweet settled for third, the best finish by any of the five Kasey Kahne Racing cars in the event.

“We had one of the best Sprint Cars I’ve ever had tonight and just got beat,” said Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif. “We ran an awesome race and I really love coming out here to compete with these guys. The track was very racy and produced and awesome surface for us. It got a little slick and Donny is the guy that figures out surfaces like these the best.”

Schatz’s milestone 108th victory in the World of Outlaws record book puts him into an elite group of racers. Only Steve Kinser (566), Sammy Swindell (276) and Mark Kinser (153) have more main event victories than Schatz.

“I’m just glad we got passed it,” Schatz said. “It’s really cool when you’ve been in a sport long enough and to have the level of success needed to achieve a bench mark like that. I don’t think we really need a confidence builder. Our team is running great and getting stronger as we race more and more.”

Jason Meyers, who was leading the points entering the night, finished ninth and relinquished the series lead to Schatz by 3 points. NASCAR stars and World of Outlaws car owners Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart finished 17th and 18th respectively.

The Outlaws now head for the down the road to the famous Eldora Speedway for a jam-packed weekend of racing that culminates with the 28th running of the $50,000-to-win Kings Royal.

LIMALAND MOTORSPORTS PARK NOTEBOOK

QUICK TIME – Paul McMahan was the night’s fastest qualifier with a lap around the one quarter-mile oval in 11.426 seconds, earning five championship points. Kasey Kahne, Craig Dollansky, Jason Sides and Jason Meyers also earned qualifying points. It marked McMahan’s eighth Quick Time of the season.

WINNERS – There have been 29 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events in 2011. The winners include: Craig Dollansky – 5 (Silver Dollar Speedway on March 12, Salina Highbanks Speedway on May 3, River Cities Speedway on June 17 and 18, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 1); Steve Kinser – 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 11 and 12, Pike County Raceway on Feb. 25, the Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 4, Lakeside Speedway on June 4); Sammy Swindell – 4 (Royal Purple Raceway on Feb. 26, Merced Speedway on April 1, Tri-State Speedway on April 30, Knoxville Raceway on June 11); Joey Saldana – 4 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 19, Eldora Speedway on May 6, Beaver Dam Raceway on July 9); Jason Sides – 4 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Calistoga Speedway on April 2, I-96 Speedway on May 30, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 2); Donny Schatz – 3 (Attica Raceway Park on May 20, Princeton Speedway on June 25, Limaland Motorsports Park on July 13); Paul McMahan – 2 (the Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 28, Belleville Highbanks on June 3); Jason Meyers – 1 (Cedar Lake Speedway on July 8); Daryn Pittman – 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 13.)

NEW ONLINE HOME – Make sure to check out the all-new WorldofOutlaws.com for the latest news and results, plus exclusive driver interviews, video and pictures. Also listen to every event live at DIRTVision.com .

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Limaland Motorsports Park; Lima, Ohio; July 13, 2011

A-Main — (40 Laps) — 1. 15-Donny Schatz [3] [$10,000]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [2] [$5,500]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [4] [$3,200]; 4. 2-Dale Blaney [7] [$2,800]; 5. 83-Paul McMahan [5] [$2,500]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [22] [$2,300]; 7. 92-Kerry Madsen [6] [$2,200]; 8. 7S-Jason Sides [12] [$2,100]; 9. 14-Jason Meyers [13] [$2,050]; 10. 22H-Randy Hannagan [23] [$2,000]; 11. 83X-Tim Shaffer [14] [$1,500]; 12. 7-Craig Dollansky [11] [$1,200]; 13. 11-Steve Kinser [15] [$1,100]; 14. 97-Dean Jacobs [9] [$1,050]; 15. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [21] [$1,000]; 16. 91-Cody Darrah [25] [$100]; 17. 4-Kasey Kahne [8] [$800]; 18. 14S-Tony Stewart [24] [$800]; 19. 7C-Tim Hunter [16] [$800]; 20. 7K-Kyle Sauder [18] [$800]; 21. 312-Mike Linder [20] [$800]; 22. 1-Sammy Swindell [17] [$800]; 23. 6M-Jac Haudenschild [10] [$800]; 24. 4X-Danny Smith [19] [$800]; 25. 63-Chad Kemenah [26] [$]; 26. 9-Joey Saldana [1] [$800]. Lap Leaders: Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1-5, 7-9; Brad Sweet 6, 10-31; Donny Schatz 32-40. KSE Hard Charger Award: W20-Greg Wilson [+16].

Qualifying — 1. 83-Paul McMahan, 11.426; 2. 4-Kasey Kahne, 11.434; 3. 7-Craig Dollansky, 11.443; 4. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.513; 5. 14-Jason Meyers, 11.526; 6. 27-Daryn Pittman, 11.570; 7. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.581; 8. 89G-David Gravel, 11.583; 9. 49-Brad Sweet, 11.606; 10. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 11.610; 11. 83X-Tim Shaffer, 11.636; 12. 9-Joey Saldana, 11.658; 13. 6M-Jac Haudenschild, 11.661; 14. 92-Kerry Madsen, 11.664; 15. 97-Dean Jacobs, 11.668; 16. 2-Dale Blaney, 11.688; 17. 53-Phil Gressman, 11.691; 18. 11-Steve Kinser, 11.746; 19. 63-Chad Kemenah, 11.753; 20. 7C-Tim Hunter, 11.761; 21. 1-Sammy Swindell, 11.765; 22. 7K-Kyle Sauder, 11.773; 23. 4X-Danny Smith, 11.789; 24. 312-Mike Linder, 11.815; 25. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 11.836; 26. 7L-Darren Long, 11.855; 27. W20-Greg Wilson, 11.872; 28. 22H-Randy Hannagan, 11.947; 29. 44W-Austin Wheatley, 11.973; 30. 14S-Tony Stewart, 12.004; 31. 91-Cody Darrah, 12.005; 32. 2B-Ben Gregg, 12.023; 33. 40-Caleb Helms, 12.038; 34. 6R-Bill Rose, 12.042; 35. 1Z-Jessica Zemken, 12.044; 36. 96AU-Bruce White, 12.215; 37. 6-Kraig Kinser, 12.619; 38. 2M-Tom Rhoades, 12.789; 39. 69-Scott Curren, 13.361.

Heat 1 — (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) — 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 2. 6M-Jac Haudenschild [1]; 3. 83-Paul McMahan [4]; 4. 14-Jason Meyers [3]; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [7]; 6. 1-Sammy Swindell [6]; 7. 53-Phil Gressman [5]; 8. 44W-Austin Wheatley [8]; 9. 6-Kraig Kinser [10]; 10. 40-Caleb Helms [9].

Heat 2 — (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) — 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [2]; 2. 92-Kerry Madsen [1]; 3. 11-Steve Kinser [5]; 4. 4-Kasey Kahne [4]; 5. 14S-Tony Stewart [8]; 6. 27-Daryn Pittman [3]; 7. 7K-Kyle Sauder [6]; 8. 7L-Darren Long [7]; 9. 6R-Bill Rose [9]; 10. 2M-Tom Rhoades [10].

Heat 3 — (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) — 1. 97-Dean Jacobs [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 3. 7-Craig Dollansky [4]; 4. 83X-Tim Shaffer [2]; 5. 4X-Danny Smith [6]; 6. 91-Cody Darrah [8]; 7. 63-Chad Kemenah [5]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [7]; 9. 1Z-Jessica Zemken [9]; 10. 69-Scott Curren [10].

Heat 4 — (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) — 1. 9-Joey Saldana [2]; 2. 2-Dale Blaney [1]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [4]; 4. 7C-Tim Hunter [5]; 5. 312-Mike Linder [6]; 6. 89G-David Gravel [3]; 7. 22H-Randy Hannagan [7]; 8. 2B-Ben Gregg [8]; 9. 96AU-Bruce White [9].

Dash — (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) — 1. 9-Joey Saldana [1]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [2]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [3]; 5. 83-Paul McMahan [6]; 6. 92-Kerry Madsen [8]; 7. 2-Dale Blaney [10]; 8. 4-Kasey Kahne [5]; 9. 97-Dean Jacobs [9]; 10. 6M-Jac Haudenschild [7]

C-Main — (10 Laps – Top 2 finishers transfer to the B-feature) — 1. 40-Caleb Helms [1] [-]; 2. 6R-Bill Rose [2] [-]; 3. 6-Kraig Kinser [5] [$150]; 4. 1Z-Jessica Zemken [3] [$125]; 5. 96AU-Bruce White [4] [$125]; 6. 2M-Tom Rhoades [6] [$100]; 7. 69-Scott Curren [7] [$100].

B-Main — (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) — 1. 7K-Kyle Sauder [6] [-]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell [5] [-]; 3. 22H-Randy Hannagan [9] [-]; 4. W20-Greg Wilson [8] [-]; 5. 89G-David Gravel [2] [$200]; 6. 2B-Ben Gregg [12] [$180]; 7. 6R-Bill Rose [14] [$175]; 8. 44W-Austin Wheatley [10] [$160]; 9. 91-Cody Darrah [11] [$150]; 10. 40-Caleb Helms [13] [$150]; 11. 7L-Darren Long [7] [$150]; 12. 27-Daryn Pittman [1] [$150]; 13. 53-Phil Gressman [3] [$150]; 14. 63-Chad Kemenah [4] [$150].

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Points Standings, through July 13

Pos.

Driver

Total

Diff

Wins

Top 5

Top 10

Donny Schatz

4016

Jason Meyers

4013