On a night where young guns seemed to rule the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic at Limaland Motorsports Park, it was four-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz who proved experience is crucial when it comes taking the checkered flag. Schatz charged through the field, battling Brad Sweet and Sam Hafertepe Jr., before finally securing the lead on Lap 32 to score his third win of the season, and move back atop the series standings.
“Tonight was a ton of fun,” said Schatz, of Fargo, N.D., who moves past his childhood hero Doug Wolfgang on the all-time win list with his 108 th victory. “The track developed a low, middle and high groove which made it awesome for us racers. Hats off to my team and everyone involved with this STP/Armor All/ Chevrolet J&J. We really like winning and doing it the way we did it tonight made it even better. Brad (Sweet) and Sam (Hafertepe Jr.) made it interesting and I really had a blast.”
The 40-lap event saw drivers from all corners of the racing world contest the quarter-mile oval, including Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart. Early in the feature it was Hafertepe who looked like he might be strong enough to win his first World of Outlaws event, but after a caution on the fifth lap Sweet surged to the front and started to pull away for what would have been his first victory with the Outlaws.
That’s when it got really wild, as is usually the case with the Outlaws on a quarter-mile oval. Coming off a restart with 14 laps to go, Sweet, Schatz and Haftertepe went three-wide for the lead. First Schatz inched ahead, then Sweet slid ahead, then Schatz, then Sweet again. Finally, with 8 to go, Schatz moved to the point for good with Hafertepe surging ahead of Sweet as those three raced to the checkered flag. Defending race winner Dale Blaney and Paul McMahan rounded out the top five, with McMahan earning his eighth quick time of the season by topping qualifying.
“Donny ran an awesome race tonight and there is no shame in finishing second to him,” said Hafertepe, of Sunnyvale, Texas. “There were a few times I could have done some things different and possibly won this race. We came close a few years ago so we really wanted this one. However, we’re happy with this and look forward to getting to the Kings Royal this weekend.”
Sweet settled for third, the best finish by any of the five Kasey Kahne Racing cars in the event.
“We had one of the best Sprint Cars I’ve ever had tonight and just got beat,” said Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif. “We ran an awesome race and I really love coming out here to compete with these guys. The track was very racy and produced and awesome surface for us. It got a little slick and Donny is the guy that figures out surfaces like these the best.”
Schatz’s milestone 108th victory in the World of Outlaws record book puts him into an elite group of racers. Only Steve Kinser (566), Sammy Swindell (276) and Mark Kinser (153) have more main event victories than Schatz.
“I’m just glad we got passed it,” Schatz said. “It’s really cool when you’ve been in a sport long enough and to have the level of success needed to achieve a bench mark like that. I don’t think we really need a confidence builder. Our team is running great and getting stronger as we race more and more.”
Jason Meyers, who was leading the points entering the night, finished ninth and relinquished the series lead to Schatz by 3 points. NASCAR stars and World of Outlaws car owners Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart finished 17th and 18th respectively.
The Outlaws now head for the down the road to the famous Eldora Speedway for a jam-packed weekend of racing that culminates with the 28th running of the $50,000-to-win Kings Royal.
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