Donny Schatz is interviewed in victory lane after winning Friday night’s World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series feature at LoneStar Speedway. Photo: Tony Stewart Racing/Twitter
Donny Schatz avoided the expected dangers of short track racing Friday night to score the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory at LoneStar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.
Schatz led all 35 laps in his victory, taking home not only the trophy but also a gold-toned Limited Edition Craftsman wrench set for the company’s 90th anniversary.
Though Schatz established his dominance throughout the program – setting the night’s quick-time, and winning his heat and the Craftsman Club Dash – it did not come as easily as it seemed on paper. From an assumingly unlikely challenger – in terms of their resumes – the eight-time series champion was challenged by Rookie of the Year contender Sheldon Haudenschild throughout the night.
“(Sheldon) was there from the start and did everything he needed to do,” Schatz said. “It’s an experience thing. Obviously he is a good, young driver. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. But we try not to focus on what someone else is doing. We have to focus on our own stuff to try to stay ahead of these young guys.”
Haudenschild, 23, was less than a tenth of a second off Schatz’s quick-time, and he also won his way into the dash. The two started on the front row of the feature, where the son of veteran Jac Haudenschild would have his chance to make his own name in the series. He wasted no time.
“I had a good starting spot, but it was just difficult to pass,” Haudenschild said. “I tried to make it happen early when I slid (Schatz) twice, but just didn’t have the speed in the corners to do it. I just need to be there in the end. I’m happy with the performance. To get a good run early in the season is a confidence-booster, and we’ll try to carry that momentum. I know I have a really great car and crew. Getting in these dashes is a big part of it.”
Haudenschild dipped under Schatz once the green flag dropped. He challenged Schatz on the bottom, but the top proved to be the quickest route to shutting down Haudenschild’s advances. Schatz and Haudenschild tangoed briefly, but the defending champion quickly opened-up his lead to a 1.345-second margin.
From there, Haudenschild was sandwiched in-between two drivers that have wins in 2017 – Schatz and Jason Johnson. Haudenschild escaped Johnson’s challenge for second with 20 laps remaining. Haudenschild distanced himself from Johnson, gaining more than a one-second advantage.
The race’s first caution five laps later regrouped the field, with Johnson taking advantage. Barreling out of turn four, Johnson overtook Haudenschild. By this time, the top-five was all series regulars – Schatz, Johnson, Haudenschild, Brad Sweet and David Gravel respectively. Through two more cautions in the feature, Johnson managed to close the gap between him and Schatz to as narrow as a .733-second margin. He could not capitalize.
“You’re racing the best guy in the business (Schatz),” Johnson said. “He’s not going to make any mistakes. Those guys are clicking and doing a great job.”
For more information on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, visit WoOSprint.com.
World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series
LoneStar Speedway – Kilgore, Texas
Race Results – March 3, 2017
Bear in mind that not all people are from uk viagra suitable candidates for chiropractors. Unhealthy lifestyle: It has often been found that order generic cialis loved that young men are able to get erection at any time and are able to make it to the top of corporate ladder. The lorry driver who was transporting the consoles was flagged down on buy cialis soft the A38 by several men in reflective jackets, who then overpowered him and drove off with his lorry. Along with this, the corporate images of these practitioner are also amplifying at a cheap viagra prices substantial level all-round the globe. 1. 15-Donny Schatz
2. 41-Jason Johnson
3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild
4. 49-Brad Sweet
5. 5-David Gravel
6. 2-Shane Stewart
7. 99-Brady Bacon
8. 49X-Tim Shaffer
9. 4-Paul McMahan
10. 9-Daryn Pittman
11. 11K-Kraig Kinser
12. 18-Ian Madsen
13. 2X-Parker Price-Miller
14. 17-Joey Saldana
15. W20-Greg Wilson
16. 17B-Josh Baughman
17. 82-Kevin Thomas, Jr.
18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe, Jr.
19. 19-Brent Marks
20. 87-Aaron Reutzel
21. 7S-Jason Sides
22. 9X-Paul Nienhiser
23. 2C-Wayne Johnson
24. 13-Clyde Knipp
25. 1S-Logan Schuchart
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.