Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / TONY STEWART RACING – BROWNSBURG, IN – It was all forward progress and positive results for Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, not only concluding the facility’s final event on October 20-21 with pair of top-ten appearances, but rallying big for a podium in the process, ultimately allowing the ten-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion to bump his season’s top-five tally to 22.
Schatz, ace of the Advance Auto Parts, Carquest, Ford Performance, MadJax XSeries, Curb Records, Sage Fruit, Absolute Automation and Security, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts, Mobil 1, Hoosier Racing Tires, VP Racing Fuels, GEARWRENCH, No. 15 sprint car, finished third in his Saturday night podium performance, commencing the $20,023-to-win Final Stampede from ninth on the lineup sheet. It was a third-place finish during heat race competition that allowed Schatz to qualify.
Acting fast, Schatz’ rally to the front launched in a hurry, already battling for fourth with less than five of the 40 circuits recorded. The Fargo, North Dakota, native would drive on to conquer Sheldon Haudenschild for third on lap five, next setting his aim on Big Game Motorsports’ own David Gravel. Schatz was able to pull even with Gravel with less than ten to go, but despite all attempts, the surefire Hall of Famer was forced to settle for third.
“We thought when we got racing with David there we were going to have a chance to get going,” Schatz explained. “I moved up the racetrack a little bit and got in his dirty air, and for some reason I was just stuck. I kept trying it. We got by him, but once I got myself back in clean air I was kind of in trouble and he went back by.”
A three-spot rally helped Schatz open Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s Final Stampede resulting in a ninth-place outcome on Friday, October 20; he started 12th.
foDonny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing will continue their 2023 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series campaign with the season ending World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday through Saturday, November 1-4.