Donny Schatz not only had 23 other drivers chasing him on Friday night, but he also had Mother Nature knocking at his door, as she tried her best to derail the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio. Schatz would not be outdone, as he bested the field and the weather at the high-banked 1/3-mile to score his second A-Feature win of the season and the 72nd of his World of Outlaws career.
Schatz took the lead from Paul McMahan on the high side of the track on the 11th lap, exiting the fourth turn as he charged down the front straightaway and quickly began to pull away. He would endure a couple of cautions over the course of the 40-lap contest, but strong restarts each time kept him handily in front of the field aboard the Armor All J&J for Tony Stewart Racing.. With the win, Schatz remained the only Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver that has finished in the Top-10 in all 13 events this season.
“It was a good night for us,” said Schatz. “We keep working hard to get that feel I like back and each day we keep making big strides. I think we have our hand on what it is, and I am very excited about that.”
Schatz lined up third and ran there for the first four laps of the race before getting around Jac Haudenschild to move into the runner-up position. He then began to reel in Paul McMahan who led from the drop of the green flag. The race took two starts to get going, after the caution flag flew on the initial start before a full lap was complete. After another caution on the second lap, McMahan began to pull away before Schatz chased him down in lapped traffic.
“I knew we would be good when we got to traffic,” Schatz noted. “We just had to wait through our car a little bit. We had a really good car, but had to wait for the fuel load to come off. That’s something we have been working on all year, to get our car better late in the race, like it’s been the last couple of years, and we got it tonight.”
The race began with a light mist, which intensified throughout the event, though with 24 cars running all over the surface on the high-banked 1/3-mile, there was not much room for the rain to actually hit the track. The checkered flag flew just around 9:30 p.m. as officials did everything they could to make sure the capacity crowd was able see the full 40 lap event.
“You could see it a little, but it wasn’t coming down real bad,” said the winner of the rain late in the event. “My car was stuck so good through the middle and the top that it didn’t really affect me. I know there are some people that probably would have wished it would have rained halfway through while they were leading, but not me. Every lap I do, I get better and I need every lap I can get. I’m glad to run all 40 laps and get away with a victory.”
Schatz is currently second in World of Outlaws points, as he chases his third consecutive title. He is in his first season behind the wheel for two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart. Schatz was looking forward to calling his boss after picking up the win on Friday night, before heading to Eldora Speedway tomorrow, which Stewart also owns.
“He is pushing us, as he should be and that’s no different than my dad would,” said the second generation driver of his car owner. “My dad is pushing us too. I’m glad to have that. That says a lot when you get pushed. That’s what we need. That’s what these guys need and that’s what I need. We’re going there tomorrow and will try to get out of there with a victory.”
Joey Saldana earned his seventh Top-Five finish of the season on Friday night aboard the Budweiser/Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI. After lining up fourth, he was engaged in a number of battles over the course of the 40-lap event, including with 20-time series champion Steve Kinser, Jac Haudenschild and then Chad Kemenah in the late going.
“It was a good run for us,” said Saldana. “We had a driver error in qualifying and I had to redeem myself in the heat race. We got up through there in the (Crane Cams) Dash. In the feature, we kind of fell back and stuck with it and got going. I thought I was catching him with five to go. I was catching him off of (turn) two, but catching him is one thing and passing him is another. It was definitely a good run for us.”
Shane Stewart finished third at Attica, to earn his third Top-Five finish in the last four events, driving a Steve Kent-built machine for the Roth Motorsports team. He also wrapped up the title in the Qwik Liner Cup, after turning the second fastest lap in time trials, to take the crown over Craig Dollansky by a single point. He will be awarded the Qwik Liner Cup at Knoxville Raceway next weekend.
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