It was at a make-up feature last October when Donny Schatz had the opportunity to return to the site of his biggest moment in sprint car racing.
Usually, Knoxville Nationals champions have to wait seven months to return to the track. Thanks to a rain-out from earlier in the year, Schatz was back at the raceway driving his No. 15 ParkerStore J&J to a second consecutive victory at the prestigious Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa.
This weekend, Schatz will return once again, and this time be carrying the title of World of Outlaws (WoO) champion along with Knoxville Nationals champion. Nothing close to the 300-pound gorilla he had on his back during the last six years when he showed up for the WoO race each April.
“It still is hard to believe that we finally won the Knoxville Nationals, and it’s a great feeling” said Schatz, who finished second in the race in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005 before winning last year’s race. “Thanks to mother nature we got to come back here last October and were recognized by the track. That was pretty special and to go out later that night and win my first Outlaw feature at track was pretty cool too. “
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