INDIANAPOLIS – One of the best things about the nomadic racing schedule of the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series is the challenge each stop presents. For Donny Schatz and the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) team, the biggest challenge this year has been getting races in as Mother Nature has forced the cancellation or postponement of nine of the first 15 scheduled nights of racing.
Schatz hopes turning the calendar to May will change the weather patterns and allow him to regularly get behind the wheel of the TSR No. 15 Armor All/Chevy/ParkerStore J&J in WoO competition.
This weekend, the challenge will be racing at two completely different facilities on consecutive nights. Schatz kicks off the month of May at one of the smallest tracks on the tour, US 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo. The high-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval is one of only three tracks currently on the schedule where the 1,200-pound, 800-plus-horsepower Sprint cars crack the 10-second lap barrier. In May 2006, the TSR No. 20 Bass Pro Shop sprinter set the track record at 9.846 seconds (135.36 mph).
This will be Schatz’ third year competing in the Missouri High Banked Nationals. In 2006, he had one of his toughest nights of the season, which included being involved in four separate on-track incidents. Last season, he earned the fast qualifier award and raced from the ninth starting position to a fifth-place finish in the 40-lap “A” feature.
On Saturday, Schatz and his TSR teammate, Kraig Kinser, return to legendary Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. The event was originally scheduled for April 26 but was one of the early season casualties to Mother Nature. Schatz and Kinser have combined to win the last three Knoxville Nationals – Kinser in 2005 and Schatz in 2006 and 2007. Schatz has four wins in his last six feature event starts at the track.
With six events in the books for 2008, Schatz has four second-place finishes and currently holds the third position in the WoO standings with 857 points, trailing leader Craig Dollansky by 36 points entering this weekend.
This weekend’s Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series programs at US 36 Raceway located near Osborn, Mo., on State Road 33, and Knoxville Raceway, which is located on State Route 14 on the Marion County Fairgrounds, kick off the month of May, which includes 13 nights of racing at 12 different tracks.
On Friday at US 36 Raceway, pit gates open at 2 p.m. CDT and grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. Hot laps are tentatively scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday at Knoxville Raceway, pit gates open at 4 p.m. CDT with the grandstand gates opening at 6 p.m. Hot laps are tentatively scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m.
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