Defending Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz Rides Armor All JJ into the Old West

INDIANAPOLIS, June 9, 2009: When the dust settles each night at the conclusion of every World of Outlaws (WoO) feature event, only one Outlaw is declared the winner. As the WoO series storms into Dodge City (Kan.) this weekend for the annual Boothill Showdown, it’s Donny Schatz, once again, playing the coveted role of Gunsmoke’s Marshall Dillon. Schatz, the three-time and defending WoO champion, heads to Dodge City (Kan.) Raceway Park as the current series points leader, defending race champion and the series’ most recent winner.

After Schatz blazes his way along the old Santa Fe Trail this weekend, he’ll be aboard Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) No. 15 Armor All/Chevy/ParkerStore J&J. This is his second season driving for the current NASCAR Sprint Cup point leader and Schatz’s 13th season competing with the Outlaws. With the past three WoO championships and more than 60 wins under his belt since the start of the 2006 season, Schatz heads into the doubleheader as a marked man.

Schatz was victorious in last year’s Boothill Showdown in thrilling fashion. He passed Daryn Pittman for the lead on primarily a one-lane racing surface. Schatz made his winning move using a higher line than Pittman to collect his first win at the track. Friday’s race will be his ninth time competing at Dodge City. He has been the fast qualifier on three of those occasions, and he finished in the top-five five times. In the last three seasons, he has finished third, second and first in the annual Dodge City stop.

Last Saturday night at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway, Schatz was in true Outlaw form, rim-riding his way around the high-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval en route to his 95th career WoO “A” Feature. The win was his seventh “A” WoO triumph of the season and Lawrenceburg Speedway became the 49th different track where he’s visited victory lane. The triumph was also his first in Indiana, which became the 28th state in which he’s won a WoO main event.

With 25 of the scheduled 84 nights of WoO racing completed, the Armor All team has seven victories, 14 top-five finishes and 18 top-10s. Schatz continues to lead the WoO Sprint Series championship standings with 3,460 points.

Both nights of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event at Dodge City Raceway Park, which is located south of Dodge City just off US 56, will be taped-delayed by SPEED-TV. Friday’s race will be broadcast on June 20, and Saturday’s will be shown June 27. Both shows are scheduled to air at 3 p.m. EDT.

On Friday and Saturday at Dodge City Raceway Park, the pit gates open at 2 p.m. CDT., and the grandstands will open at 5 p.m. CDT. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. For more details, contact Dodge City Raceway Park at (620) 225-3277, or visit the track’s official Web site, dodgecityraceway.com.

Race fans unable to attend this weekend’s races can catch all of the action on DIRTVision.com. Fans can listen live as Johnny Gibson, “Voice of the Outlaws,” calls the action as he does at all WoO Sprint Series events on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Go to www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the site features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other race fans.

Donny Schatz, Driver of the No. 15 TSR/Armor All/Chevy/ParkerStore J&J:

Last year, you were finally able to score a win at Dodge City. You’ve always been fast there, so now with the win under belt, do you think you’ll be able to get more?

“Doing something the first time is always the toughest. We’ve qualified well there for quite some time, so we knew we were fast. It just took putting it all together. Last year, we could either follow the leader and be satisfied with second or take a chance at winning. The chance paid off and it’s what I’ll do again. I’ve lost a few races because of that mentality, but I’ve won way more because of it. Now that we’ve won at Dodge City, we’ll let it all hang out and try to do it again.

“I know the Armor All crew (Rick Warner, Shane Bowers and Eric Prutzman) will put a fast car underneath me and we’ll just do our best. Wins are what matter most to all of us at Tony Stewart Racing. Two weeks ago, we won a race in New York and were hoping to put a streak together. Unfortunately, we had a problem at Attica and had to start over at Lawrenceburg. This would be a great time to put a few wins together.”

The Boothill Showdown is typically one of the most fan-supported events of the year. Do you feel that energy when you are at the event?

“We really do appreciate the support we get at Dodge City. They have a first-class facility and always do a great job. When we only get to come to a venue once a year, it’s important for us to have the best show we can. The fans always seem to come out and make it a fun weekend.

“Once the race starts, you block most of that other stuff out. I will say that, when you’re rolling around the track during the four abreast, you can see the crowd. I finally got to end that night last year in the Winners Circle and that was the best feeling. I just hope we can put on a good couple of nights and give everyone who comes out a great show.”