Win No. 300 finally comes for 10-Time Outlaw Champion Donny Schatz.
A historic night was already in place at Dubuque as the World of Outlaws took to the Dubuque Raceway on Friday night. Little did anyone know at the drop of the green just how historic it would be.
When Schatz inherited the lead following issues with Aaron Reutzel’s machine, the wondering game began. Schatz had been up front throughout this year but never able to find victory lane and never able to find win 300. Well on a muggy Iowa Friday night, Donny Schatz found victory lane one week after stating his frustration with not getting that win so far in the season.
Emotions filled victory lane for Schatz following the victory and rightfully so. A mark that has only been accomplished two other times in the history of the sport.
“It hasn’t sunk in,” Schatz emotionally told DirtVision. “I thought that was going to happen about 15 times this year. We’ve been in a good spot, just that’s the way racing is some days. It doesn’t go the way you want or expect. Tonight was the night. There is something about the atmosphere here that kind of made me feel that tonight was going to be the night. Real awesome setting on the fairgrounds and I don’t know. There is something about this part of the country that is real neat.”
All things haven’t been smooth for the 10-time Outlaw champion. There has been some tough moments this year for the Tony Stewart Racing team. From struggling early to even finish in top ten to have wins pulled out from underneath them. Schatz’s crew was so close but could never grab that one they needed.
The season wore on and is 32 races in before Schatz finally found victory lane for the first time this year. Once he did, though, it was a big one. He couldn’t have been more gracious for the team sticking behind him and working together to grab the win.
“32 races in and we’re just winning our first race of the year. Kind of feels odd to be in that position but when you have great people…you know these guys never gave up on us, even though sometimes I feel like they should. I feel like there was days that i was waiting for Tony(Stewart) to call and say there is someone younger and better to put in the seat but I hadn’t got that call yet.”
Everything went the Fargo, North Dakota natives way on Friday night. From taking over the lead to running away from second place running James McFadden. Throughout the night, teams were blowing tires off the cars. Schatz, himself, blew a tire during their heat race so he knew it was going to be a battle against man and machine on Friday night.
Following a red flag in the middle of the event, Schatz admitted that he got nervous because of the tires. He said that the tires get so hot and the bleeders allow for almost too much air to be released. Once they went back green he could feel the lack of tire pressure right away.
“When I started the race again I bounced because my tires were so low. So I had to do something to kind of be cautious and not get myself in trouble. At that point I just had to get up on the race track and go. I felt we had a race won at Eldora and the car changed and the way things moved at the end of the race and I didn’t change with it. Tonight I did, I wasn’t going to let that get away from me on the top. If they were going to beat me they were going to have to do it on the bottom, I don’t know if anyone was able to do it or not.”
Back green after the red and he was off to the lead by a solid margin over McFadden again. He looked to have been smooth sailing to his 300th career Outlaw win and join the likes of Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell. That was until the white flag flew followed by a yellow flag.
Carson Macedo, last week’s winner at Knoxville, was stopped on the back stretch and forced the field to be re-stacked, re-racked and set for a one-lap shootout. Schatz had McFadden covered and was entering the final turns when the caution lights came on around the speedway. The collective sigh could be felt from Fargo to Dubuque and everywhere in between.
We were watching on DirtVision before the SRX cars practiced and when the yellow came out, there was an audible “noooo!” in the crowd from all the people watching too. It was pretty cool. Nothing beats dirt racing, man. I love it so much!
— Josh Gerlach (@Josh_Gerlach) June 19, 2021
Schatz kept his poise, as a professional and the champion he is, would and took off on the one lap shootout. Entering turn one and two on the top of a three-wide battle with McFadden and Sheldon Haudenschild, Schatz got the run off the corner and was gone down the back.
He would see the white flag once again. This time the flag that followed was the black and white checkered signifying his 300th World of Outlaws victory. A win that had been in the making since last season. Finally on this June night in Eastern Iowa it was Schatz’s night. As expected the emotions overflowed in victory lane as the Tony Stewart Racing driver celebrated with his parents. An even more special win as it comes on Father’s Day weekend.
“I’m glad that my father was here for this one,” Schatz said in the post race interview. “He doesn’t get to all of them but he made it here.”
Joining Kinser and Swindell, Schatz becomes the third 300 time winner in the 40 plus years of World of Outlaws Sprint Car racing. A huge accomplishment after battling through the early season struggles and many podium finishes this year. Time after time, Schatz would be in position to win but just wouldn’t be his night. This was his night.
“Glad to get it here tonight,” Schatz said. “Seemed like it’s been a long time coming but the best things come to those who wait. Seems to be that way in life and seems to be that way on the race track.”
McFadden took second place in the feature and Schatz’s teammate Kerry Madsen would round out the podium with a third place finish as he got by Haudenschild late.
