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schatz-wrecker.jpg (12836 bytes)This is one tough Outlaw!

(Minneapolis, MN, March 6, 2000) The start of the season has been full of misfortune for the ParkerStore sprint car team of Donny Schatz, to say the least. Although the team feels they have the car to get the job done, they have not made a very strong showing in the World of Outlaws points race.

In five nights of racing with the World of Outlaws, Donny has had the car upside down on the wing three times, mechanical problems twice, a trip to the hospital for neck and shoulder pain, and most recently a separated shoulder.

"We've just been a victim of misfortune", said Donny. "We've had a quick car almost every night. We definitely had the potential to win anyone of these races. One of the crashes took out four of the lead cars. We're just glad that no one has really gotten hurt. It's just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Schatz separated his shoulder in the mishap on Saturday night at Las Vegas, but went on to finish the race anyway. Donny's father, Danny, put his shoulder back in place on the floor of the race hauler after the event. "This is the first time that I've separated it while racing," stated Donny. It's happened to me a couple of times when I was playing hockey. It seems that once you've injured it, it separates a lot easier."

The team is now heading to the brand new Texas Motor Speedway facility in Forth Worth, TX. The final touches are still being done to the track in order to host the World of Outlaws on March 30-31. "We're going to get a chance to do some testing on the new track on Thursday afternoon, Donny said. We're going to test two different cars, one with the Don Ott motor and the other with the Gaerte. Hopefully, we can figure out which car we need to go with."

This weekend the World of Outlaws will be at the Devil's Bowl in Mesquite, TX for the sixth stop of the 2000 racing season. "The crew has worked really hard through all of the crashes this season. We're going down to Texas to win that race. We need to get this momentum turned around," Donny added.

Check back for the latest racing news, results and photos.

(Article by John Strand)

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