Schatz Adds to Year's Total With Charlotte Win

Schatz with steering wheel sponsor Max Papis in Victory Lane

CONCORD, N.C. (May 22, 2014) –Track Release -  The 10 Days of NASCAR Thunder moved over to The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Friday as World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series points leader Donny Schatz captured his 10th win of the season and eighth victory at the lightning-fast, four-tenths-mile clay oval in the Circle K NOS Energy Outlaw Showdown.

Tony Stewart Racing's Schatz, the all-time event winner at Charlotte, led the field to the green flag but lost the lead going into Turn 1 as Kraig Kinser drove past him on the bottom of the track. Kinser quickly stretched his lead to over a second as Schatz struggled to keep up on the high side.

Schatz moved from the cushion down to the low side on lap 7 and started cutting into Kinser's lead as both drivers weaved their way through lap traffic. After Jamie Veal and Kory Crabtree spun and brought out the second caution flag of the race on lap 12, Schatz shot past Kinser on the outside on the restart and jumped out to a three second lead.

David Gravel took second place from Kinser, who faded to a sixth-place finish, on lap 17, and got within a car length of Schatz with two laps remaining before running out of time as Schatz led the final 18 laps en route to the victory. Gravel finished second, his best finish at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, followed by Daryn Pittman, Shane Stewart and Paul McMahan.

"I couldn't hear him [Gravel] but I figured somebody had to be [behind me]," said Schatz. "We got to traffic and there were guys running the bottom and guys ripping around the top and I just couldn't seem to make anything happen to get through. If you're leading the race and you're backpedaling you have to know somebody's coming…sometimes you win them that way and sometimes you lose them that way.

"Thanks to everybody involved and all the fans, thank you guys for being here."

In the SECA Late Model Series A-Main, 20-year-old Trent Ivey took home his first win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, outracing veteran drivers Rambo Franklin and Ricky Weeks.

It was a slow start for the 25-lap race that had two caution flags on the first lap. Once the race got up to speed, Ivey led the first eleven laps before Weeks took the lead and the two drivers battled fiercely for the top spot. It would be Ivey who emerged victorious in the end, followed by Franklin, who was able to get passed Weeks in the final laps. Zack Mitchell and Corey Gordon rounded out the top five.

The SECA B-Mains held earlier in the evening were won by Joey Coulter and Ryan Atkins.

The 10 Days of NASCAR Thunder continues Saturday with the Hisense 300 and concludes Sunday with the Coca-Cola 600. Tickets can still be purchased online or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267).

Connect with The Dirt Track at Charlotte and stay up to speed on all the action at the clay oval on Facebook and Twitter. Keep up with all the latest news and information from the speedway by downloading the new Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

-30-

World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series:

Qualifying: 1. Daryn Pittman (13.758); 2. Paul McMahan (14.053); 3. Donny Schatz (14.287); 4. Kraig Kinser (14.303); 5. David Gravel (14.375); 6. Kerry Madsen (14.417); 7. Shane Stewart (14.458); 8. Brad Sweet (14.465); 9. Jamie Veal (14.500); 10. Jason Sides (14.561); 11. Logan Schuchart (14.574); 12. Dave Blaney (14.586); 13. Cole Duncan (14.601); 14. Wayne Dadetto (14.721); 15. Joey Saldana (14.728); 16. Lance Moss (14.744); 17. Kory Crabtree (14.902); 18. Brent Marks (14.947); 19. Brad Wickham (15.395); 20. Mark Cole (15.551); 21. Eric Riggins Jr. (16.043).

First Heat (8 laps): 1. Jason Sides; 2. Kraig Kinser; 3. Daryn Pittman; 4. Shane Stewart; 5. Cole Duncan; 6. Lance Moss; 7. Brad Wickham.

Second Heat (8 laps): 1. Logan Schuchart; 2. David Gravel; 3. Brad Sweet; 4. Paul McMahan; 5. Wayne Dadetto; 6. Mark Cole; 7. Kory Crabtree.

Third Heat (8 laps): 1. Donny Schatz; 2. Jamie Veal; 3. Dave Blaney; 4. Joey Saldana; 5. Brent Marks; 6. Kerry Madsen; 7. Eric Riggins Jr.

Dash (8 laps): 1. Donny Schatz; 2. Kraig Kinser; 3. Daryn Pittman; 4 David Gravel; 5. Paul McMahan; 6. Kerry Madsen; 7. Jason Sides; 8. Logan Schuchart.

A-Main (30 laps): 1. Donny Schatz; 2. David Gravel; 3. Daryn Pittman; 4. Shane Stewart; 5. Paul McMahan; 6. Kraig Kinser; 7. Brad Sweet; 8. Logan Schuchart; 9. Dave Blaney; 10. Kerry Madsen; 11. Jason Sides; 12. Joey Saldana; 13. Brent Marks; 14. Jamie Veal; 15. Cole Duncan; 16. Jacob Allen; 17. Wayne Dadetto; 18. Kory Crabtree; 19. Lance Moss; 20. Eric Riggins Jr.; 21. Brad Wickham; 22. Mark Cole.

SECA Late Model Series:

Qualifying: 1. Trent Ivey (16.670); 2. Rambo Franklin (16.771); 3. Ricky Weeks (16.824); 4. Chris Jackson (16.849); 5. Nick Deitz (16.902); 6. Brandon Haley (16.906); 7. Dale Moore (17.007); 8. Chris Cheek (17.033); 9. Matt Lawson (17.048); 10. Zack Mitchell (17.099); 11. Steve Hendren (17.102); 12. Brian Moody (17.107); 13. Banjo Duke (17.133); 14. Mark Parks (17.145); 15. Spencer Apple (17.149); 16. Larry Timms (17.165); 17. Christian Thomas (17.168); 18. John Ruggiero (17.170); 19. Teddy Musgrave Jr. (17.204); 20. Benji Knight (17.218); 21. Matt Long (17.224); 22. Ryan Atkins (17.234); 23. Joey Coulter (17.239); 24. Corey Gordon (17.256); 25. Kale Green (17.266); 26. Cole Apple (17.275); 27. Justin Williams (17.276); 28. Landon Mitchel (17.348); 29. Timmie Harrelson (17.361); 30. Cale Conley (17.390); 31. Tony Hicks (17.397); 32. Wesley Cadwallader (17.427); 33. Mark McLeod (17.478); 34. Eddie Bags III (17.544); 35. Chase McCormick (17.551); 36. Dale Timms (17.586); 37. Adam Yarbrough (17.632); 38. Travis Leake (17.649); 39. Danny Sanders (17.697); 40. Steve Banal (17.720); 41. Benji Hicks (17.780); 42. Thomas Robinson (17.815); 43. Dan Yarbrough (17.850); 44. Brad Rigdon (17.916); 45. Richard Jiuken Jr. (18.046); 46. Randy Pfaff (18.062); 47. Robbie Stevens (18.173).

B-Main #1 (10 Laps): 1. Joey Coulter; 2. Banjo Duke; 3. Steve Hendren; 4. Spencer Apple; 5. Teddy Musgrave Jr.; 6. Justin Williams; 7. Matt Long; 8. Christian Thomas; 9. Tony Hicks; 10. Mark McLeod; 11. Danny Sanders; 12. Timmie Harrelson; 13. Richard Kuiken Jr.; 14. Kale Green; 15. Robbie Stevens; 16. Benji Hicks.

B-Main #2 (10 Laps): 1. Ryan Atkins; 2. Brian Moody; 3. Corey Gordon; 4. Cale Conley; 5. Wesley Cadwallader; 6. Larry Timms; 7. Mark Parks; 8. Landon Mitchel; 9. Dale Timms; 10. Brad Rigdon; 11. Cole Apple; 12. Travis Leake; 13. Jason Palermo; 14. Thoms Robinson; 15. Randy Pfaff; 16. Eddie Baggs III; 17. Benji Knight; 18. John Ruggiero.

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. Trent Ivey; 2. Rambo Franklin; 3. Ricky Weeks; 4. Zack Mitchell; 5. Corey Gordon; 6. Ryan Atkins; 7. Teddy Musgrave Jr.; 8. Matt Lawson; 9. Mark Parks; 10. Larry Timms; 11. Chris Cheek; 12. Nick Deitz; 13. Brandon Haley; 14. Spencer Apple; 15. Joey Coulter; 16. Justin Williams; 17. Thomas Robinson; 18. Cole Apple; 19. Banjo Duke; 20. Dale Moore; 21. Wesley Cadwallader; 22. Steve Hendren; 23. Chris Jackson; 24. Cale Conley; 25. Brian Moody.

-30-

John Davison

Long-time RIS staffer, beginning in the mid-80s. Charlotte, NC area local contact.

Read More on Oval Track press releases
Volume 2015, Issue 5, Posted 1:47 AM, 05.23.2015