Schatz & Zimbardi Double Up, J&J Auto Racing Scores Seven Victories

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From J&J

McKenzie, Tenn. (June 15, 2016) – J&J Auto Racing teams rolled a perfect seven last week, as teams grabbed seven victories across two countries and five states for the McKenzie, Tenn., based chassis manufacturer’s brand. Defending and seven-time World of Outlaws (WoO) Craftsman Sprint Car Series Champion, Donny Schatz, and New York’s Jared Zimbardi doubled up in the win column, while Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Trey Starks and Keith Butler also posted big victories.

 

LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY – PUTNAMVILLE, IN

KNOXVILLE RACEWAY – KNOXVILLE, IA

 

Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing (TSR) driver Donny Schatz won two of three World of Outlaws (WoO) Craftsman® Sprint Car Series A-Feature events last week, finished second in the other, and promptly took over the top spot in the championship standings in the TSR No. 15 Bad Boy Off Road/Chevrolet Performance J&J.
Schatz made his debut at Lincoln Park Wednesday night and quickly adapted to the 5/16-mile dirt oval in central Indiana. He qualified fourth in the field of 30 cars before finishing second to Kyle Larson in the opening heat race. The dash invert was four, which put Schatz on the pole for the six-lap race that set the lineup for the first three rows of the 40-lap A-Feature. Schatz used traffic to his advantage and retook the lead on lap 24 and he would not relinquish it to earn his eighth triumph of the season. Lincoln Park Speedway became the 77th different track where he’s won a WoO A-Feature.

Following Wednesday’s victory, Schatz led the Outlaws to historic Knoxville for two nights of racing. In Friday night’s opener, he qualified third in Group A qualifying and finished second in the first heat. He raced from fifth to second in the dash to start the 25-lap A-Feature outside of Terry McCarl. McCarl got the jump on the start as Schatz battled Kerry Madsen for the second position during the first 10 laps. He made his move for the lead on a lap 15 restart by powering by McCarl coming out of turn two, but McCarl regained the lead in turn four. Schatz kept pace with McCarl during the final laps of the race, but couldn’t make a move for the lead and finished second.

In Saturday’s event at Knoxville, Schatz qualified fourth in the field of 35 cars and won the fourth heat to transfer into the dash. He wasn’t able to advance from his fifth spot in the dash and started the 25-lap A-Feature inside of the third row. He was racing Shane Stewart for fourth during the opening laps when a multi-car incident brought out the red flag. The calamity was reminiscent of something fans might see at Talladega Superspeedway as an 11-car accident occurred coming down the front straightway when second-place runner Ian Madsen made contact with Brian Brown and Stewart, starting a chain reaction. Schatz avoided the accident and would restart third behind polesitter Jamie Veal and Madsen. He held third for the next 10 laps before overtaking Madsen for second on lap 15 and then began to track down Veal for the lead. He made his bid for the lead coming out of turn four on lap 22 to grab the lead. Schatz pulled away during the final three laps to earn his 24th career victory at the famed half-mile, dirt oval in central Iowa.
Through 36 races, Schatz continues to lead the series in wins with nine, top-fives with 24, top-10s with 34 and KSE Hard Charger Awards with seven. He has accumulated 4,988 points and leads Brad Sweet by 41 markers in the championship standings. For more information regarding Schatz, please visit www.DonnySchatzMotorsports.com. Fans can also follow him on Twitter @DonnySchatz or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Donny-Schatz-155969137765350/.

 

OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY – OHSWEKEN, ONT. CANADA

WOODHULL SPEEDWAY – WOODHULL, NY

 

Jared Zimbardi also doubled up in the win total last week, earning his first of two Patriot Sprint Tour (PST) victories at Ohsweken Speedway in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada, on Friday, June 10. Starting from outside the front row, Zimbardi took control in the early laps of the A-main in the No. 35 entry to claim the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak vs. PST challenge race at Ohsweken for the third year in a row. Dane Lorenc also grabbed a heat race win in the No. 00 entry.

 

Zimbardi repeated the victory lane visit on Saturday, June 11, at Woodhull (NY) Speedway grabbing his second straight and third season PST win of 2016. The victory was the first career triumph at the facility for the veteran driver. After starting fifth in the 25-lap A-main, Zimbardi took the lead and commanded the event even through heavy traffic, using it to his advantage. When the checkered flag dropped, Zimbardi parked the No. 35 entry in victory lane at the 1/3-mile bull ring for the first time in his career. In addition to picking up the Shuttleworth’s ‘Seals the Deal’ racing bonus, Zimbardi is also the PST Series point’s leader.

 

Lorenc drove the No. 00 entry to a seventh place finish in the feature event, also finishing third in the evening’s dash event.

 

Follow Zimbardi on Twitter @35TheJuice or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/35TheJuice.

 

EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK – GIBSONTON, FL

 

Keith Butler brought relief to a drought at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., on Saturday, June 11, winning the Q Auto & Injury Attorneys Sprint division. Butler drove the No. 19 entry to his first win at the facility in over a decade in the 15-lap feature event. Follow Butler on Twitter @kjmotorsports19.

 

SKAGIT SPEEDWAY – ALGER, WA

 

Trey Starks captured his second straight feature victory and his fourth of the 2016 season on Saturday, June 11, at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., in the John Carroll Classic. Starks qualified the No. 55 seventh quick and drew the luck of the draw to start the 25-lap A-main from outside the front row. Biding his time early in the event, Starks took the lead on lap seven and navigated traffic successfully to take the win. The victory marked the third different track in Washington State that Starks has triumphed on this season. For more information regarding Starks, visit www.TreyStarksRacing.com, or follow him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TreyStarksRacing. Starks can also be found on Twitter @Starks55Trey.

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ROUTE 66 MOTOR SPEEDWAY – AMARILLO, TX

 

Sam Hafertepe, Jr. and the No. 15H Keith Dobbs Racing team fired the first shot in ASCS Speedweek competition on Saturday, June 11, with a win at Route 66 Motor Speedway near Amarillo, Texas. Starting seventh in his heat race, Hafertepe was able to transfer into the feature event redraw after a third place finish. Lining up for the 30-lap A-main from the sixth position, Hafertepe battled his way to the front and put on a dynamic show before taking the checkered flag in his first appearance at Route 66 Motor Speedway. The victory also pulled Hafertepe and the No. 15H team into a tie for the Lucas Oil ASCS National Sprint Car Series championship standings.

Danny Wood in the No. 81W entry also posted a podium finish, taking the checkered flag in the third position.

For more information regarding Hafertepe, visit www.Sam15.com or follow him on Twitter @SamHafertepeJr.

ABOUT J&J AUTO RACING – McKENZIE, TN

 

For more than 40 years, J&J Auto Racing has been a leader in racecar chassis manufacturing. With intricate attention to detail and a willingness to provide chassis to the consumer’s specifications, J&J has taken its place as a leader in Sprint car racing innovation and safety. Founded and headed by Jack and Bonnie Elam, J&J Auto Racing is based in McKenzie, Tenn. For more information regarding J&J Auto Racing, please visit www.jandjautoracing.com or follow the brand on Twitter @JJ_Auto_Racing and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JJ-Auto-Racing-199865997589/.