Schatz to compete in Australia

WORLD OF OUTLAWS CHAMPION RETURNS TO ACTION IN AUSTRALIA

GRANVILLE, NSW, AUSTRALIA (December 25) - World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz is ready to return to action and is spending his Christmas Day in Australia preparing for his first race at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway (PCR) near Sydney. The Fargo, ND native is excited about returning to the seat of a sprint car after concluding the best season of his career almost two months ago with a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a WoO championship.

"I'm really looking forward to getting back to racing," said Schatz, who claimed his first World of Outlaws championship in 2006. "This lifestyle is pretty crazy, when you are racing you think about being on vacation and when you are on vacation you can't stop thinking about racing. I know if I want to continue to get better as a driver that I have to continue working on my craft."

Schatz will again drive the No. 2 Pick N' Payless J&J owned by Gary Rush Racing, the same team he raced for last year when he won eight of his first nine races all at PCR. The schedule for this year's trip includes ten nights of racing during his ninth racing assault on Australian soil.

"I don't think there is any way to match what we did last year winning as much as we did, but it is a standard that we'll try to match," continued Schatz. "I've really become accustomed to how to race that track and that's a big key. We've got a great car and motor combination (J&J and Shaver) and that's a big part of our success."

The competition during this year's campaign will be as strong as ever. Sixty seven drivers have entered Tuesday's Valvoline International Sprintcar Grand Prix. Several other American stars will compete at PCR during the big events including the two-night $50,000 Sprintcar International and three-night Outlaws Down Under IV program.

"The $50,000 race is the one that really stands out, and we've been fortunate to win it five times," continued Schatz. "Last year, we got by Joey (Saldana) on the last lap to win it. I know all the guys on the Rush Racing team were pretty excited. Gary was with us in August when we won the Knoxville Nationals and that was a huge thing for me. We've had some great memories together and hopefully in the next few weeks, we can make a few more."

The ParkerStore sponsored racer will return to the United States in late January and begin defending his WoO championship on February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida.

-credit: bk