Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / TONY STEWART RACING – BROWNSBURG, IN – Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing’s four-race stretch through Pennsylvania and New York was an all-around success story, not only completing the two-state swing with three top-ten scores, but a pair of top-fives in the process, one of which a podium in the annual Williams Grove Speedway Summer Nationals finale on Saturday, July 27.
Schatz, ace of the Carquest, Advance Auto Parts, Ford Performance, Curb Records, Sage Fruit, Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts, Mobil 1, Hoosier, VP Racing Fuels & Tub ‘O Towels, No. 15 sprint car, finished second in his Williams Grove Speedway podium appearance, leading the first 12 laps from the pole position before commencing a battle with championship rival, David Gravel.
Gravel, the eventual Summer Nationals champion, got by Schatz on lap 13, only to lose command to the ten-time World of Outlaws champion the following circuit. The Fargo, North Dakota, native would maintain the point until lap 19 when Gravel snuck back by entering turn one and two. Despite the fact, Schatz did everything he could to reclaim command, showing his nose to the Connecticut native on multiple occasions.
“We were decent,” Schatz said of Williams Grove. “From the word go we were okay, and the longer I ran the looser I got. I tried moving the wing, and it kind of made me a little bit worse, so I kind of had to go back. I just kind of started searching around the racetrack. I tried the top. I tried the middle. It seemed like that yellow helped. It cooled the tires down and I could go for a few laps. I just couldn’t get in the racetrack the way we needed to. We were there, but I guess we’ll have to settle for second tonight.”
Schatz and TSR kicked-off their Summer Nationals effort with an 11th-place score from 15th one night prior, launching their entire Pennsylvania visit with an eighth-place performance at BAPS Motor Speedway on Wednesday, July 24. The four-race stretch eventually came to a close Sunday night at Weedsport Speedway; Schatz finished fifth from eighth on the starting grid.
With all results considered, Schatz remains second in the 2024 World of Outlaws championship chase, trailing Gravel by 110 markers. To date, Schatz owns 36 top-ten appearances in 41 starts, 21 of which recorded within the top-five.
Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing and Donny Schatz will continue their 2024 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series campaign with the Ironman 55 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Missouri, on Friday and Saturday, August 2-3. The winner of the 55-lap finale will take home the iconic dumbbell trophy and $25,000.