Fog and Rain Can’t Stop Donny Schatz at Knoxville!
Knoxville, IA, June 13, 2015 – It was an odd night at the Mediacom Shootout featuring the World of Outlaws Saturday night/Sunday morning at the Knoxville Raceway! A three and a half hour rain delay sent events into Sunday morning, and the feature was fogged out after fifteen laps. Despite all that, Donny Schatz emerged victorious and took home the $10,000 first place money. It was the Fargo, North Dakota driver’s twelfth WoO win of the year, and his 22nd career win at Knoxville. His win came aboard the Tony Stewart Racing #15. In the 360 class, sprint car rookie Ryan Giles took his first career sprint car victory.
Schatz, who won the Dash, wrestled the lead from fellow front row starter Justin Henderson, who held it briefly on lap one. Fog quickly moved in on the Marion County oval. Henderson closed on Schatz in traffic, when Davey Heskin came to a stop in turn four with eight laps in the books. Officials deemed a single-file restart was best with the foggy conditions. Schatz led Henderson, Kerry Madsen, Ian Madsen and Brian Brown back to green flag racing.
Brown would shoot by Ian Madsen for fourth on lap eleven. When Bronson Maeschen slowed on lap 15 due to vision issues, after polling the drivers, the race was called due to the foggy conditions. Henderson held on for second behind Schatz. Kerry Madsen was third, ahead of Brown and Ian Madsen. Joey Saldana, Sammy Swindell, Lynton Jeffrey, Daryn Pittman and Brad Sweet rounded out the top ten.
In the new World of Outlaws two-flight qualifying system, Kerry Madsen and Saldana set quick time in their respective groups. Schatz, Brown, Ian Madsen and Terry McCarl won the heat races. After the Dash, rain began to fall, resulting in the lengthy rain delay. A 12-lap track record was set by Logan Schuchart in the first B main, before Saldana broke his mark in the second at 2:56.9. The previous record of 3:09.2 was set by Tim Shaffer in 2008.
“I can’t say enough about what the track crew did,” said Schatz in Victory Lane. “The push truck guys, and all the people who stuck with it. It was a hell of a job getting it in. I don’t know what happened with the fog. It wasn’t bad until we got to turn three. That was a tough call to make. We had every sort of racetrack tonight at Knoxville that we’re going to run. We had two completely different racetracks on the same night, and we had a good car for both of them.”
“I’m proud of this team,” said Henderson. “Donny did a good job of keeping his momentum up. I should have moved up when I got by him. I should have moved up when I got by him (on lap one). I lost that race, and he did a good job of taking it. I’m proud of him for racing clean. He did a good job with the lapped cars. It was hard to see at the end, and he was being very careful with them. I’m proud of the racetrack for getting it in, and thank you fans for sticking around.”
“Thank you to everyone who did a bloody sterling effort of getting the track in,” said Kerry Madsen. “The fans for sticking around…sprint car racing is such a great sport because of the fans. I really wanted to go the last fifteen laps, but I couldn’t even see the cone on the restart.”
Fast, heavy conditions greeted the 360 competitors for their 18-lap feature. Nat Van Haaften held the early lead over Ryan Giles and tony Shilling. On lap three, Shilling shot by Giles for second and set his sights on Van Haaften.
The pair entered traffic, and on lap ten, Van Haaften got a little high in turn four. Shilling saw an opportunity and the two cars came together and flipped violently. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Giles assumed the lead and left the field behind the last eight laps to record his first ever win in a sprint car. Dustin Clark was second, ahead of Matt Moro, Joe Beaver and Justin Henderson. Clint Garner, Jon Agan, Russ Hall, Randy Martin and Calvin Landis rounded out the top ten. Shilling set quick time, while Jamie Ball, Sawyer Phillips and Hall took the heat races.
“It’s surreal to be standing here after just five nights in a sprint car,” said Giles in Victory Lane. “We’ve made three features so far, and to win one…it’s just unbelievable! It’s a little bittersweet. My Dad and my brother are in Europe. I wish they could have seen it, but they’re out there watching. Hopefully, we’ll get another one when they’re able to watch.”
Join us next Saturday night, June 20, for Marion County Cattleman and Corn Growers Night! It’s also “Scout Night”! Scouts need to wear their Scout shirt to get in FREE! For more information on Knoxville Raceway, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
Results from Knoxville Raceway
410 Results
Time Trials Flight #1 (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 29, Kerry Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, Aust. (6), 15.388; 2. 1, Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD (1), 15.499; 3. 2L, Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO (8), 15.618; 4. 1S, Logan Schuchart, Hanover, PA (13), 15.694; 5. 15, Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND (16), 15.705; 6. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (12), 15.736; 7. 19M, Brent Marks, Myerstown, PA (9), 15.806; 8. 55, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aust. (7), 15.821; 9. 35AU, Jamie Veal, Warrnambool, VIC, Aust. (5), 15.845; 10. 11, Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN (3), 15.848; 11. 7, David Gravel, Watertown, CT (4), 15.957; 12. 49J, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (11), 15.996; 13. 17A, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (15), 16.057; 14. 1A, Jacob Allen, Hanover, PA (2), 16.073; 15. 7D, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (18), 16.083; 16. 11K, Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, IN (17), 16.104; 17. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust (19), 16.275; 18. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (21), 16.497; 19. 7R, Ryan Bunton, Morton, IL (20), 16.523; 20. 71A, RJ Johnson, Tampa, FL (14), 16.782; 21. 1P, Curtis Evans, Norborne, MO (10), NT.
Time Trials Flight #2 (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 71M, Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN (16), 15.591; 2. 9, Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK (2), 15.711; 3. 12, Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City, IA (5), 15.743; 4. 41, Sammy Swindell, Germantown, TN (13), 15.778; 5. 49, Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, CA (6), 15.796; 6. 51, Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN (15), 15.827; 7. 18, Ian Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, Aust (14), 15.864; 8. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (20), 15.928; 9. 2, Shane Stewart, Bixby, OK (18), 15.929; 10. 82, Dusty Zomer, Sioux Falls, SD (4), 15.964; 11. 96, Bronson Maeschen, Pleasantville, IA (11), 15.978; 12. 7S, Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN (10), 16.010; 13. 56, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (17), 16.029; 14. 3, Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA (21), 16.148; 15. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (1), 16.260; 16. 2KS, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (9), 16.410; 17. 4, Dakota Hendrickson, Omaha, NE (7), 16.508; 18. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (12), 17.173; 19. 44D, Andy Snider, Des Moines, IA (3), 17.462; 20. 19, Bob Weuve, Newton, IA (19), 17.537; 21. 45, Mark Johnson, Des Moines, IA (8), 18.119.
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:10.5: 1. Donny Schatz (2); 2. Kerry Madsen (4); 3. Danny Lasoski (3); 4. David Gravel (6); 5. Brent Marks (1) / 6. Jamie Veal (5); 7. Dustin Selvage (8); 8. Glen Saville (7); 9. Ryan Bunton (9) DNS – Austin McCarl, Curtis Evans
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:11.6: 1. Brian Brown (2); 2. Brooke Tatnell (1); 3. Justin Henderson (4); 4. Steve Kinser (5); 5. Josh Schneiderman (6); 6. Kraig Kinser (8); 7. Logan Schuchart (3); 8. AJ Moeller (9); 9. Jacob Allen (7) DNS – RJ Johnson
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:14.6: 1. Ian Madsen (1); 2. Brad Sweet (2); 3. Lynton Jeffrey (3); 4. Bronson Maeschen (6); 5. Davey Heskin (7); 6. Shane Stewart (5); 7. Joey Saldana (4); 8. Tasker Phillips (8); 9. Dakota Hendrickson (9); 10. Andy Snider (10); 11. Mark Johnson (11)
Heat four (started), 8 Laps, 2:12.3: 1. Terry McCarl (1); 2. Paul McMahan (2); 3. Sammy Swindell (3); 4. Dusty Zomer (5); 5. Jason Sides (6) / 6. Daryn Pittman (4); 7. Tim Kaeding (7); 8. Don Droud Jr. (8); 9. Chris Martin (9); 10. Bob Weuve (10)
Dash (started), 6 Laps, NT: 1. Donny Schatz (2); 2. Justin Henderson (4); 3. Ian Madsen (1); 4. Kerry Madsen (6); 5. Brian Brown (7); 6. Lynton Jeffrey (5); 7. Sammy Swindell (3); 8. Terry McCarl (8)
B main #1 (started), 12 Laps, 2:58.6 (NTR): 1. Logan Schuchart (1); 2. Jamie Veal (2) / 3. Kraig Kinser (4); 4. Glen Saville (3); 5. Ryan Bunton (5); 6. RJ Johnson (6); DNS – Austin McCarl, AJ Moeller, Dustin Selvage, Jacob Allen, Curtis Evans
B main #2 (started), 12 Laps, 2:56.9 (NTR): 1. Joey Saldana (1); 2. Daryn Pittman (2) / 3. Tim Kaeding (4); 4. Shane Stewart (3); 5. Don Droud Jr. (6); 6. Tasker Phillips (5); 7. Bob Weuve (8); 8. Andy Snider (7) DNS – Dakota Hendrickson, Chris Martin, Mark Johnson
A main (started), 15 Laps, NT: 1. Donny Schatz (1); 2. Justin Henderson (2); 3. Kerry Madsen (4); 4. Brian Brown (5); 5. Ian Madsen (3); 6. Joey Saldana (10); 7. Sammy Swindell (7); 8. Lynton Jeffrey (6); 9. Daryn Pittman (12); 10. Brad Sweet (14); 11. Terry McCarl (8); 12. Paul McMahan (16); 13. Danny Lasoski (9); 14. Brent Marks (13); 15. Jamie Veal (17); 16. Dusty Zomer (18); 17. Tim Kaeding (26, prov.); 18. Logan Schuchart (11); 19. Jason Sides (22); 20. Shane Stewart (25, prov.); 21. David Gravel (21); 22. Steve Kinser (19); 23. Bronson Maeschen (20); 24. Davey Heskin (24); 25. Brooke Tatnell (15); 26. Josh Schneiderman (23). Lap Leader: Schatz 1-15. Hard-charger: Kaeding.
360 Results
Time Trials (Group Qualifying): 1. 22, Tony Shilling, Knoxville, IA (6), 15.977; 2. 1, Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD (16), 16.134; 3. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (10), 16.164; 4. 3, Nate Van Haaften, Otley, IA (11), 16.178; 5. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (22), 16.199; 6. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (4), 16.207; 7. 33A, Austin Alumbaugh, Higginsville, MO (7), 16.227; 8. 2M, Matt Moro, Polk City, IA (14), 16.234; 9. 16, Dustin Clark, Agency, IA (19), 16.308; 10. 4, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (2), 16.320; 11. 10, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA (17), 16.344; 12. 29, Russ Hall, Pleasant Hill, IA (9), 16.354; 13. 8L, Tom Lenz, Marion, IA (3), 16.446; 14. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (1), 16.526; 15. 14, Randy Martin, California, MO (12), 16.571; 16. 5J, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (21), 16.622; 17. 33, Alan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (5), 16.877; 18. 9M, Ricky Montgomery, Lakewood, CO (20), 16.880; 19. 5JR, Devin Kline, Knoxville, IA (13), 17.043; 20. 34, Corey Nelson, Eugene, MO (18), 17.082; 21. 1A, John Anderson, Des Moines, IA (15), 17.393; 22. 50, Keoni Texeira, Honolulu, HI (8), NT.
Heat one (started), 7 Laps, NT: 1. Jamie Ball (1); 2. Tony Shilling (6); 3. Nate Van Haaften (5); 4. Jon Agan (3); 5. Tom Lenz (2); 6. Devin Kline (7); 7. Keoni Texeira (8); 8. Austin Alumbaugh (4)
Heat two (started), 7 Laps, 2:00.9: 1. Sawyer Phillips (2); 2. Matt Moro (4); 3. Justin Henderson (6); 4. Clint Garner (5); 5. Calvin Landis (3); 6. Alan Zoutte (1); 7. Corey Nelson (7)
Heat three (started), 7 Laps, NT: 1. Russ Hall (3); 2. Ryan Giles (6); 3. Ricky Montgomery (1); 4. Dustin Clark (4); 5. Randy Martin (2); 6. Joe Beaver (5); 7. John Anderson (7)
A main (started), 18 Laps, NT: 1. Ryan Giles (1); 2. Dustin Clark (3); 3. Matt Moro (5); 4. Joe Beaver (6); 5. Justin Henderson (7); 6. Clint Garner (8); 7. Jon Agan (9); 8. Russ Hall (11); 9. Randy Martin (14); 10. Calvin Landis (10); 11. Austin Alumbaugh (19); 12. Jamie Ball (15); 13. Devin Kline (18); 14. Tom Lenz (12); 15. Keoni Texeira (20); 16. Alan Zoutte (16); 17. Sawyer Phillips (13); 18. Nate Van Haaften (2); 19. Tony Shilling (4); 20. Ricky Montgomery (17); 21. John Anderson (21) DNS – Corey Nelson. Lap Leaders: Van Haaften 1-10, Giles 11-18. Hard-charger: Alumbaugh.
Sources: Bill Wright/Knoxville Raceway PR