Donny Schatz Eagle Nationals summary
HOME-COOKIN GOOD IN NORTH DAKOTA VICTORY FOR SCHATZ, PARKERSTORE TEAM MINOT, ND (June 21)- There's nothing like going home. World of Outlaws sprint car star Donny Schatz and his ParkerStore team don't get many opportunities to race on North Dakota ...
HOME-COOKIN GOOD IN NORTH DAKOTA VICTORY FOR SCHATZ, PARKERSTORE TEAM
MINOT, ND (June 21)- There's nothing like going home. World of Outlaws sprint car star Donny Schatz and his ParkerStore team don't get many opportunities to race on North Dakota soil, and Sunday, the team made the 750-mile tow following Saturday night's Eagle Nationals finale to Nodak Speedway in Minot, ND for the Roughrider Classic.
The long journey was well worth it for Schatz, a Minot native, as he charged from 18th starting spot and into the top five early during the first eight laps. He moved into second on lap 13 of the 30-lap race and raced into the lead following another caution. From there it was all the World of Outlaws star on his home soil.
"It's fun to be able to come back home," said Schatz following the $5000 victory. "I'm glad to be here tonight. I'd like to be able to come more often. Growing up racing you can't wait to get out on the road and race all across the country. You've got to remember how you got to where you are and I learned a lot about racing right here."
The win was certainly a family affair as Donny's dad, Danny, drove the team's transporter from Nebraska to North Dakota while Donny and the crew got things ready for Sunday night's program. There were many nights the father and son spent time together at Nodak Speedway, and the victory was an appropriate way for the two to celebrate Father's Day.
"It's fun to be able to come back home," Schatz said. "I'm glad to be here tonight. I'd like to be able to come more often. The opportunity came up last minute, and we decided it was worth it to make the effort. Our guys didn't get much sleep, but hopefully they realized how important this was for my family. The atmosphere of being up here was a lot of fun and hopefully this will help us keep going."
The race on North Dakota dirt was a prelude to the Duel in the Dakotas at Red River Valley Speedway in less than two weeks. The annual show in West Fargo provides Schatz the opportunity to race against his fellow Outlaws in his home state. The pressure of winning is always great for the 27 year-old, but since winning the event in 2002 and claiming a preliminary feature in 2003, he has been able to enjoy the event a little more.
"We always look forward to coming home and this was just a chance to get a ahead start," continued Schatz. "We've got a lot of work to do over the next ten days. Any time you win, you feel better about things. We've got a race at Sedalia, where we've won in the past and then two nights at Knoxville. Those are the last two races we'll have there before the Nationals, so it's important for us to learn a lot."
Two years ago, Schatz and his ParkerStore team were able to use an off-night from the Outlaws and win a feature in Grand Forks that seemed to springboard the team to a successful summer on the WoO tour.
The ParkerStore team will return to action on Wednesday night at State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, MO, before heading to Knoxville Raceway for a two-night program on Friday and Saturday.
-www.donnyschatz.com and www
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