INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 25, 2014) – Donny Schatz heads back to Indiana with the goal of not only scoring a second victory at Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway, but also continue his three-race winning streak in the Hoosier state. The five-time WoO champion also is looking to make it two straight in Michign when the Outlaws make their debut at Berlin Raceway.
Schatz won earlier in the year at Lawrenceburg (Indiana) Speedway and last week at Kokomo and Terre Haute. He also was victorious at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa in late May behind the wheel of the TSR No. 15 STP/Armor All/Crimsafe J&J.
Schatz, who calls Fargo, North Dakota home, might consider relocating to Indiana with the results he has had in the state during 2014. The five-time WoO STP Sprint Car Series champion has won three consecutive Indiana WoO races – Lawrenceburg Speedway in May, and Kokomo Speedway and Terre Haute’s Action Track last week. Schatz added Bloomington to his growing list of tracks where he’s won a WoO A-Feature. In August 2011, Schatz raced to victory in his fifth start at the facility and returned the following summer and finished third.
With 80 races compete, Schatz leads the Outlaws into action this weekend with a 271-point lead in the championship standings and is in the midst of a streak of 28 consecutive top-10 finishes. He leads the series in wins with 22, top-fives with 56, top-10s with 73, and KSE Hard Charger Awards with 13. Kinser holds the eighth position and is looking to pick up his second win of the season.
For Friday’s event at Bloomington Speedway, the pit gates will open at 2 p.m. EDT with the grandstands opening at 5 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. For more details, contact Bloomington Speedway at (812) 824-7400 or visit the track’s official Web site at www.bloomingtonspeedway.com.
Saturday at Berlin, the pit gates and the grandstands will open at 4 p.m. EDT. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. For more details, contact Berlin Raceway by calling (616) 677-5000 or visit the track’s official Web site at www.berlinraceway.com
Race fans unable to attend this weekend’s events can catch all of the action on DIRTVision.com. Fans can listen live as Johnny Gibson, “Voice of the Outlaws,” calls the action as he does at all WoO STP Sprint Car Series events on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Go to www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the site features, including live results from the track.
Donny Schatz, Driver of the No. 15 TSR/STP/Armor All/Crimsafe J&J:
This week, you’ll compete at two distinctly different tracks. How much different is your driving style when competing on smaller tracks versus the bigger tracks?
“It’s mostly about experience. Things happen much quicker on the short tracks and you have to be able to anticipate what the cars in front of you are going to do much faster. On the bigger tracks, you carry so much more speed and you need to take advantage of that. In the end, it’s still about making the right decisions at the right time. I’m looking forward to both tracks this week. Last week, we had good runs at both a smaller track (Kokomo) and the bigger tracks (Terre Haute and Eldora). The STP guys do a great job putting a good car under me. It’s been a pleasure to drive.”
This has been another incredible season for you and the STP team. With only nine races remaining, are there still things you are looking to accomplish?
“We still have the opportunity to win races. Every year we try to set our goals pretty high. After winning 23 races last year, we knew eclipsing that would be tough, but here we are with a chance to at least tie it. Everyone on this team is really motivated to finish out our year as best we can. It’s been fun coming to the track every night and we’re going to enjoy these final races and do the best we can each night.”