Donny Schatz Scores Number 31 with Victory at Rolling Wheels
Paul McMahan makes history with new track record and fastest average speed
ELBRIDGE, N.Y. – Oct. 10, 2015 – Donny Schatz cruised to his 31st World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory of the season Saturday night as he battled through cautions and past David Gravel at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park.
“On the start there, David set a really good pace,” Schatz said. “Once we got to traffic, my car would move around, you could change your line a little bit. And then the track definitely changed a bunch. That’s what it needed for us to win and we were just glad to get the win tonight.”
The win ties Schatz with Steve Kinser for the third-most single season wins in series history. Kinser achieved the feat in 1992 – that was also the last time any driver won 30 or more races in a single season. Kinser won 36 series features in 1991 and 46, the most ever won in a single season, in 1987.
Paul McMahan made his own history earlier in the night after taking quick time and setting a new track record. With an average speed of 145.527 mph, McMahan is also now the owner of the record for the fastest ever lap (by average mph) at any track in series history. McMahan was the previous record holder with a single lap average speed of 143.209 mph at Volusia Speedway Park in 2011.
David Gravel led the field to the green flag with Schatz on his outside. Schatz battled to the lead but before a lap could be completed the red flag flew after Shane Stewart and Kerry Madsen made contact and flipped. Both drivers were OK and were able to return to the track after time in the work area. Gravel led on the restart. Two more yellows flew before a red flag for a wreck that caught up six cars. An open red was called.
Once the race got back underway, Gravel once again led the field with Schatz in second and Brad Sweet in third. Schatz closed the gap on Gravel in the succeeding several laps but was not able to get around in open air. As the two drivers worked their way through traffic, Schatz got around Gravel as the two exited turn two.
Through the final half of the feature, Schatz deftly maneuvered through traffic as Gravel faded. Sweet got around Gravel off of turn two on lap 16 and then Sweet’s Kasey Kahne Racing with Mike Curb teammate Daryn Pittman did the same thing.
The win was the fifth World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory for Schatz at Rolling Wheels. He is the winningest-active Outlaws driver at the track. Schatz has already clinched the 2015 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship.
“This team is doing an awesome job,” Schatz said. “They make the right decisions. They’re learning things right now and that’s really heartwarming for the guy driving it, that’s for sure.”
Sweet battled past Pittman following one of the early cautions. He said new crew chief Lee Stauffer made some changes during the open red that helped his No. 49 Razorback Professional Tools car down the stretch.
“There were a couple of restarts. I lost one and I won one,” Sweet said. “We were just looking for a long green flag run there and we got it. Donny got out front and he’s obviously going to be hard to beat out front… It was a good learning night for us. At the end of the day when you run second to Donny, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Pittman started the night in fourth in his No. 9 Great Clips/Curb Records car. He gave up third early on to Sweet but battled past Gravel on lap 19 to finish on the podium. After struggling earlier this season, Pittman said the last couple of months have been fun for him and his team.
“These guys keep working hard and bringing really fast racecars to the track and we’re putting ourselves in positions to win races and finish up front.”
“We’re trying to finish the year strong and we’ve been running really well the last month and a half, two months. Happy with where we’re at as a team. Third is not a win, but it’s a good finish for us. We’ll go to next week at Lawrenceburg and try to get better by a few more spots.”
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action next week at Lawrenceburg Speedway to make up a previously rained out event. To find out more information and to learn how to buy tickets, visit http://woosprint.com/
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Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Notebook
RACE NOTES: Donny Schatz picked up his 31st series win of the season, tying him with Steve Kinser for the third most single-season wins in series history. Kinser owns the record the second-most wins (36 in 1991) and most wins (46 in 1987)… With a qualifying lap of 15.461 seconds at 145.527 mph, Paul McMahan now holds the Rolling Wheels Raceway Park track record and fastest ever lap (by average mile-per-hour) in series history… Joe Trenca was the night’s KSE Racing Hard Charger, advancing nine positions to finish in 13th.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS – MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Colby Womer; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Sweet Manufacturing ($100 cash): Paul McMahan; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): David Gravel; Mobil 1 ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Lincoln Welders ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Jason Sides; Cometic Gasket($50 cash): Jason Sides; Super Flow ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; Sweet Manufacturing ($50 product certificate): Brad Sweet;KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Joe Trenca; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Donny Schatz;Mobil 1 (20% off Mobil1RacingStore.com): Colby Womer; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Shane Stewart; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Colby Womer.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 31 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Stockton Dirt Track on March 21, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 28, Placerville Speedway on April 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 12, Devil’s Bowl Speedway onApril 26, Eldora Speedway on May 8, Eldora Speedway on May 9, Williams Grove Speedway on May 15, Weedsport Speedway on May 17, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 22, Knoxville Raceway on June 13, Huset’s Speedway on June 14, Granite City Speedway on June 17, River Cities Speedway on June 19, Dakota State Fair Speedway on June 20, Beaver Dam Raceway on June 27, Lakeside Speedway onJuly 1, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 4, Cedar Lake Speedway on July 11, Lebanon Valley Speedway on July 26, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 onAug. 8, Knoxville Raceway on Aug. 15, River Cities Speedway on Aug. 21, Nodak Speedway on Aug. 23, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 28, Grays Harbor Raceway onSept. 7, Cottage Grove Speedway on Sept. 9, Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 12, Berlin Raceway on Sept. 26, Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on Oct. 11); Shane Stewart – 9 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, Keller Auto Speedway on April 17, Salina Highbanks Speedway on May 1, Crawford County Speedway on June 12, Eldora Speedway on July 17, Eldora Speedway on July 18, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 8, Skagit Speedway on Sept. 5, Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 11); Daryn Pittman – 5(Volusia Speedway Park onFeb. 13, Antioch Speedway on March 29, New Egypt Speedway on May 19, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 29, Antioch Speedway on Sept. 13); Brad Sweet – 4 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, Calistoga Speedway on April 11, I-96 Speedway onJune 25, Deer Creek Speedway on Sept. 19); Rico Abreu – 2 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Stockton Dirt Track on March 22); Dale Blaney – 2 (Attica Raceway Park on May 29, Lernerville Speedway on July 21); Paul McMahan – 2(Perris Auto Speedway on April 18, Tri-State Speedway on May 3); Joey Saldana – 2 (Kokomo Speedway on June 3, Cedar Lake Speedway on July 12); Stevie Smith – 2 (Williams Grove Speedway on July 25, Williams Grove Speedway on Oct. 4);Christopher Bell – 1 (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on May 2); Brian Brown – 1 (USA Raceway on March 7); Cody Darrah – 1 (Lernerville Speedway onJuly 21); Danny Dietrich – 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on July 25); Stewart Friesen – 1 (Ohsweken Speedway on July 28);Greg Hodnett – 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 13); Tim Kaeding – 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 13);Danny Lasoski – 1(I-80 Speedway on June 5); Kerry Madsen – 1 (Junction Motor Speedway on Aug. 18); Terry McCarl – 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5);Jason Sides – 1 (Dodge City Raceway Park on July 3);Greg Wilson – 1(Eldora Speedway on Sept. 25).
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Rolling Wheels Raceway Park; Elbridge, N.Y.; Oct. 10, 2015
A-Main – (25 Laps) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [2] [$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [3] [$5,500]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [4] [$3,200]; 4. 7-David Gravel [1] [$2,800]; 5. 71M-Joey Saldana [6] [$2,500]; 6. 51-Paul McMahan [5] [$2,300]; 7. 1-Lucas Wolfe [7] [$2,200]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9] [$2,100]; 9. 41-Jason Johnson [15] [$2,050]; 10. 55-Mark Smith [13] [$2,000]; 11. 29-Kerry Madsen [8] [$1,500]; 12. 7S-Jason Sides [14] [$1,200]; 13. 98-Joe Trenca [22] [$1,100]; 14. 5-Justin Barger [18] [$1,050]; 15. 89S-Robbie Stillwagon [17] [$1,000]; 16. 2-Shane Stewart [10] [$900]; 17. 35-Jared Zimbardi [24] [$800]; 18. 11K-Mikey Kuemper [16] [$800]; 19. 19-Paige Polyak [11] [$800]; 20. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [12] [$800]; 21. 53-Shawn Donath [21] [$800]; 22. 49K-Scott Kreutter [19] [$800]; 23. 1A-Colby Womer [23] [$800]; 24. 28F-Davie Franek [20] [$800]. Lap Leader: David Gravel 1-12, Donny Schatz 13-25. KSE Hard Charger Award: 98-Joe Trenca [+9]
Qualifying – 1. 51-Paul McMahan, 15.461; 2. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.614; 3. 29-Kerry Madsen, 15.637; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman, 15.655; 5. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.691; 6. 7-David Gravel, 15.757; 7. 71M-Joey Saldana, 15.805; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 15.827; 9. 2-Shane Stewart, 15.962; 10. 19-Paige Polyak, 15.997; 11. 1-Lucas Wolfe, 16.035; 12. 3-Dave Ely, 16.124; 13. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 16.168; 14. 55-Mark Smith, 16.178; 15. 7S-Jason Sides, 16.274; 16. 41-Jason Johnson, 16.291; 17. 11K-Mikey Kuemper, 16.311; 18. 89S-Robbie Stillwagon, 16.420; 19. 5-Justin Barger, 16.445; 20. 49K-Scott Kreutter, 16.445; 21. 28F-Davie Franek, 16.482; 22. 53-Shawn Donath, 16.492; 23. 1A-Colby Womer, 16.584; 24. 35-Jared Zimbardi, 16.645; 25. 98-Joe Trenca, 16.752; 26. 33-Chuck Hebing, 16.896; 27. 71A-R.J. Johnson, 16.929; 28. 87-George Suprick, 17.080; 29. 49H-Bradley Howard, 17.361; 30. 10-Joe Kata III, 17.506
Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 71M-Joey Saldana [2]; 2. 19-Paige Polyak [1]; 3. 51-Paul McMahan [4]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 5. 5-Justin Barger [7]; 6. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [5]; 7. 41-Jason Johnson [6]; 8. 98-Joe Trenca [9]; 9. 53-Shawn Donath [8]; 10. 87-George Suprick [10]
Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 1-Lucas Wolfe [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]; 4. 55-Mark Smith [5]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 6. 11K-Mikey Kuemper [6]; 7. 1A-Colby Womer [8]; 8. 49K-Scott Kreutter [7]; 9. 49H-Bradley Howard [10]; 10. 33-Chuck Hebing [9]
Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 7-David Gravel [3]; 2. 2-Shane Stewart [2]; 3. 29-Kerry Madsen [4]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [5]; 5. 28F-Davie Franek [7]; 6. 89S-Robbie Stillwagon [6]; 7. 10-Joe Kata III [10]; 8. 35-Jared Zimbardi [8]; 9. 71A-R.J. Johnson [9]; 10. 3-Dave Ely [1]
Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 7-David Gravel [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [5]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 5. 51-Paul McMahan [6]; 6. 71M-Joey Saldana [7]; 7. 1-Lucas Wolfe [8]; 8. 29-Kerry Madsen [4]
Last Chance Showdown – (12 Laps – Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 41-Jason Johnson [1] [-]; 2. 49K-Scott Kreutter [2] [-]; 3. 53-Shawn Donath [3] [-]; 4. 98-Joe Trenca [6] [-]; 5. 1A-Colby Womer [4] [-]; 6. 35-Jared Zimbardi [5] [-]; 7. 87-George Suprick [9] [$300]; 8. 71A-R.J. Johnson [8] [$250]; 9. 10-Joe Kata III [11] [$225]; 10. 49H-Bradley Howard [10] [$200]; 11. 33-Chuck Hebing [7] [$200]; 12. 3-Dave Ely [12] [$200]
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Lincoln Welders (Official Welder), Bad Boy Buggies (Official Side-by-Side Vehicle), The Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience (Official Racing Experience), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Mobil 1, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Sweet Manufacturing, and Superflow Dynos; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: ButlerBuilt, Intercomp, Impact Race Products, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo and TNT Rescue.
Sources: Aaron Fiedler/World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series PR