Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / TONY STEWART RACING – BROWNSBURG, IN – With the 63rd Annual Knoxville Nationals kicking off this week in Iowa, the familiar No. 15 of Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing (TSR) will carry a distinct gleaming hue.
Teaming up with marketing partner Carquest to help celebrate the iconic brand’s golden anniversary on the biggest stage in Sprint Car racing, the TSR entry will carry a specialty scheme keynoted in gold chrome and Carquest blue as the team helps the automotive aftermarket parts provider celebrate its 50-year anniversary.
“This is one of sprint car racing’s crown jewel events, and we’re thrilled to partner with Tony Stewart Racing to feature Carquest and our 50 years of serving customers with excellence,” said Mike Cooper, Advance Auto Parts and Carquest senior vice president, professional sales. “Donny Schatz has had an incredibly competitive season representing Carquest, and our team and family of Carquest independent owners will be following along closely as Donny goes for a record win at the Knoxville Nationals.”
In addition to presenting a chrome paint scheme, the No. 15 team’s pursuit of a 12th Knoxville Nationals crown will also pay tribute to the independent spirit that Carquest’s store owners have persevered with for the past 50 years. The driving force behind the brand’s historic success, TSR will also host five of the top fundraising store owners for Carquest’s Hire Heroes USA Fundraiser that took place earlier this year with the brand family.
Those stores and respective owners who will join TSR for this week’s Knoxville Nationals include:
Carquest of Vandalia Owner: Randy Meyers
Belgrade Auto Supply Owners: Sam Green & Jeremy Meirhofer
Kittrell Auto Supply Owner: Buddy Kittrell
D & M Auto Owner: Doug Urmston
Carquest of Mexico Owner: Randy Meyers
For a fifth consecutive season, Carquest, an American automotive parts distribution network owned and operated by Advance through over 1,100 independent retailers, has supported TSR and Schatz as a co-primary partner as the team for four seasons. Carquest is part of the Advance Auto Parts family, a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installers and do-it-yourself customers with over 4,700+ locations across North America.
The busiest 10 days of Sprint Car racing saw the TSR team post a fifth-place finish on Friday, Aug. 2 to kick-off the weekend at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 (I-55 Raceway) with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series (WoO.) On Saturday, Schatz and the No. 15 team found their way to the podium with the 10-Time WoO Champion driving to a hard fought second place run in the prestigious Ironman 55 event at I-55 Raceway. Making the overnight drive from Missouri to Iowa, Schatz and the No. 15 team wrapped up a three-day stretch of racing with a ninth-place finish at Knoxville Raceway in the Capitani Classic.
Schatz and the No. 15 team open their pursuit of the 2024 Knoxville Nationals title this Wednesday, Aug. 7. Hotlaps are slated to begin at 7 pm CT with a full racing program to follow.