By T.J. Buffenbarger
ROSSBURG, Ohio (July 15, 2023) — ROSSBURG, Ohio (July 15, 2023) – For the sixth time in his career Donny Schatz donned the crown Saturday at Eldora Speedway after winning the 40th edition of the Kings Royal. Schatz was able to pull away through multiple restarts and overcome a challenging racing surface due to a rainstorm that hit the track earlier in the afternoon, pulling away from the field in his Tony Stewart Racing entry and was never seriously challenged throughout the 40-lap affair.
Schatz took the lead at the start of the feature with Parker-Price Miller and David Gravel behind him. The first red flag of the event occurred on lap two when Justin Peck and Landon Myers flipped in turn two. Both drivers emerged from the cars under their own power but retired from the event.
After the restart Schatz drove away from the field as Gravel pressured Price-Miller for the second position. One lap later the red flag appeared again for Brady Bacon tumbling in turns one and two. Bacon was able to get out of the car but was done for the remainder of the feature.
Once again Schatz pulled away from the field while David Gravel wrestled second position away from Price-Miller. Further back in the field Brent Marks was on the charge moving up from 11th starting position to 6th before the restart.
Marks continued his march through the field being one of the few drivers to use the top of the racetrack to drive by Sheldon Haudenschild on lap nine.
The caution flag came out for Giovanni Scelzi after a suspension failure nearly sent him sideways in the path of Schatz. Scelzi pulled into it pit stall with too much damage to continue.
During the restart Marks disposed of Price-Miller for third position and started to close in on the lead duo of Schatz and Gravel on lap 14.
Marks was just starting to close in on Gravel when the caution came out for a fuel stop with 17 laps to go due to the speed and fuel consumption of the cars due to the atmospheric conditions.
The restart was short lived when Rico Abreu and Shane Stewart got together going into turn one and sent both backwards. Abreu was able to rejoin the field while Stewart’s car went off on the wrecker.
Marks was able to get a run under Gravel for second when the red flag appeared for Price-Miller hitting the wall and flipping in turn four. Price-Miller walked away from the crash.
After the cleanup from the crash Marks was able to muscle second away from Gravel after the restart and started to try and catch Schatz. Even with slower traffic with 10 laps to go, Marks was no match as Schatz drove away for the $175,000 victory over Marks, Gravel, Haudenschild, and Kyle Larson.
Peck was the fastest qualifier with a lap of 12.827 seconds around the ½-mile oval at Eldora. Kerry Madsen, Lance Dewease, Gravel, Haudenschild, Price-Miller, and Schatz won heat race events. Zach Hampton won the C-Main event while Carson Macedo won the B-Main.
40th Kings Royal
Eldora Speedway
Rossburg, Ohio
Saturday, July 15, 2023
Qualifying
1. 13-Justin Peck, 12.827[21]
2. 24-Rico Abreu, 12.853[54]
3. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.859[24]
4. 5-Spencer Bayston, 12.882[7]
5. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.917[33]
6. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.925[20]
7. 41-Carson Macedo, 12.926[34]
8. 42-Sye Lynch, 12.933[13]
9. 5C-Dylan Cisney, 12.933[4]
10. 67-Justin Whittall, 12.934[46]
11. 21-Brian Brown, 12.942[29]
12. 55P-Daryn Pittman, 12.954[18]
13. 19L-CJ Leary, 12.966[1]
14. 21H-Brady Bacon, 12.968[31]
15. 57-Kyle Larson, 12.971[11]
16. 83-James McFadden, 12.974[42]
17. 19-Brent Marks, 12.998[5]
18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 13.003[28]
19. 83JR-Michael Kofoid, 13.004[19]
20. 25-Lachlan McHugh, 13.017[38]
21. 55T-McKenna Haase, 13.028[49]
22. 18-Giovanni Scelzi, 13.030[53]
23. 35B-Austin Bishop, 13.032[26]
24. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.034[58]
25. 71-Shane Stewart, 13.035[23]
26. 9-Kasey Kahne, 13.039[27]
27. 1M-Landon Myers, 13.041[6]
28. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.047[37]
29. 11-Cory Eliason, 13.051[41]
30. 7S-Robbie Price, 13.058[45]
31. 55-Kerry Madsen, 13.059[12]
32. 39M-Lance Dewease, 13.067[36]
33. 2-David Gravel, 13.074[59]
34. 39-Hunter Schuerenberg, 13.076[47]
35. 9P-Parker Price Miller, 13.099[16]
36. 8-Aaron Reitzel, 13.103[2]
37. 20G-Noah Gass, 13.111[56]
38. 5T-Travis Philo, 13.128[14]
39. 35-Zach Hampton, 13.128[43]
40. 45-Tim Shaffer, 13.135[9]
41. 11T-TJ Stutts, 13.136[51]
42. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 13.146[55]
43. 26-Zeb Wise, 13.150[32]
44. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 13.150[52]
45. 21T-Cole Macedo, 13.164[25]
46. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.179[44]
47. 20B-Cody Bova, 13.214[57]
48. 99-Skylar Gee, 13.215[10]
49. 11N-Harli White, 13.237[39]
50. 19W-Trent Pigdon, 13.241[30]
51. 52-Blake Hahn, 13.245[61]
52. 25R-Jordan Ryan, 13.280[40]
53. 2MD-Conner Morrell, 13.287[22]
54. 101-Cody Maroske, 13.297[8]
55. 6-Bill Rose, 13.315[48]
56. 4-Chris Windom, 13.354[60]
57. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.358[35]
58. 46-Michael Bauer, 13.525[50]
59. 6X-Frank Rodgers, 13.756[15]
DNS: 56R-Ryan Myers, 13.756
DNS: 4X-Bradley Ashford, 13.756
Case No1 Engine Oil Heat Race #1 (10 Laps)
1. 55-Kerry Madsen[1]
2. 71-Shane Stewart[2]
3. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[3]
4. 41-Carson Macedo[5]
5. 19L-CJ Leary[4]
6. 26-Zeb Wise[8]
7. 11N-Harli White[9]
8. 20G-Noah Gass[7]
9. 6-Bill Rose[10]
DNS: 4X-Bradley Ashford
Heat Race #2 (10 Laps)
1. 39M-Lance Dewease[1]
2. 9-Kasey Kahne[2]
3. 21H-Brady Bacon[4]
4. 42-Sye Lynch[5]
5. 25-Lachlan McHugh[3]
6. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[8]
7. 5T-Travis Philo[7]
8. 19W-Trent Pigdon[9]
DNS: 4-Chris Windom
Heat Race #3 (10 Laps)
1. 2-David Gravel[1]
2. 1M-Landon Myers[2]
3. 57-Kyle Larson[4]
4. 55T-McKenna Haase[3]
5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6]
6. 21T-Cole Macedo[8]
7. 35-Zach Hampton[7]
8. 5C-Dylan Cisney[5]
9. 52-Blake Hahn[9]
10. W20-Greg Wilson[10]
Heat Race #4 (10 Laps)
1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[2]
2. 39-Hunter Schuerenberg[1]
3. 83-James McFadden[4]
4. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[3]
5. 45-Tim Shaffer[7]
6. 5-Spencer Bayston[6]
7. 67-Justin Whittall[5]
8. 11K-Kraig Kinser[8]
9. 25R-Jordan Ryan[9]
10. 46-Michael Bauer[10]
Heat Race #5 (10 Laps)
1. 9P-Parker Price Miller[1]
2. 19-Brent Marks[4]
3. 11-Cory Eliason[2]
4. 49-Brad Sweet[6]
5. 21-Brian Brown[5]
6. 35B-Austin Bishop[3]
7. 20B-Cody Bova[8]
8. 11T-TJ Stutts[7]
9. 2MD-Conner Morrell[9]
10. 6X-Frank Rodgers[10]
Heat Race #6 (10 Laps)
1. 15-Donny Schatz[3]
2. 8-Aaron Reutzel[1]
3. 7S-Robbie Price[2]
4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]
5. 55P-Daryn Pittman[5]
6. 1A-Jacob Allen[6]
7. 101-Cody Maroske[9]
8. 99-Skylar Gee[8]
9. 56R-Ryan Myers[10]
10. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[7]
C-Main (12 Laps)
1. 35-Zach Hampton[3]
2. 67-Justin Whittall[4]
3. 20G-Noah Gass[7]
4. 11N-Harli White[1]
5. 20B-Cody Bova[5]
6. 11T-TJ Stutts[11]
7. 5C-Dylan Cisney[9]
8. 25R-Jordan Ryan[16]
9. 46-Michael Bauer[20]
10. 2MD-Conner Morrell[17]
11. 19W-Trent Pigdon[8]
12. 56R-Ryan Myers[18]
13. 11K-Kraig Kinser[10]
14. 6-Bill Rose[13]
15. 6X-Frank Rodgers[21]
DNS: 5T-Travis Philo
DNS: 101-Cody Maroske
DNS: 99-Skylar Gee
DNS: 4-Chris Windom
DNS: 52-Blake Hahn
DNS: W20-Greg Wilson
DNS: 91-Kyle Reinhardt
MicroLite Last Chance Showdown (15 Laps)
1. 41-Carson Macedo[1]
2. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[4]
3. 42-Sye Lynch[2]
4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]
5. 49-Brad Sweet[5]
6. 45-Tim Shaffer[10]
7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[9]
8. 25-Lachlan McHugh[8]
9. 55T-McKenna Haase[3]
10. 21-Brian Brown[11]
11. 21T-Cole Macedo[15]
12. 55P-Daryn Pittman[12]
13. 11T-TJ Stutts[24]
14. 67-Justin Whittall[20]
15. 26-Zeb Wise[13]
16. 20B-Cody Bova[23]
17. 20G-Noah Gass[21]
18. 5-Spencer Bayston[16]
19. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[14]
20. 35-Zach Hampton[19]
21. 11N-Harli White[22]
22. 35B-Austin Bishop[17]
23. 19L-CJ Leary[7]
24. 1A-Jacob Allen[18]
NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps)
1. 15-Donny Schatz[1]
2. 19-Brent Marks[11]
3. 2-David Gravel[4]
4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[3]
5. 57-Kyle Larson[15]
6. 24-Rico Abreu[20]
7. 83-James McFadden[16]
8. 41-Carson Macedo[21]
9. 9-Kasey Kahne[8]
10. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[13]
11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[24]
12. 7S-Robbie Price[18]
13. 42-Sye Lynch[23]
14. 11-Cory Eliason[17]
15. 9P-Parker Price Miller[2]
16. 71-Shane Stewart[7]
17. 55-Kerry Madsen[6]
18. 39M-Lance Dewease[5]
19. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[22]
20. 21H-Brady Bacon[14]
21. 8-Aaron Reutzel[12]
22. 1M-Landon Myers[9]
23. 13-Justin Peck[19]
24. 39-Hunter Schuerenberg[10]