(Article by Stacy Ervin)

It hasn't been the kind of season Donny Schatz and his fans had in mind. But it's not over yet.

Despite having to endure some struggles through the first half of the 2000 season, the young North Dakota pilot will be looking to post his best finish ever when the sprint-car clans gather in Knoxville, Iowa, for the 40th Annual Knoxville Nationals, August 9-12.

The 1999 World of Outlaws tour brought great success to the 1997 rookie-of-the-year as he won four races. After sweeping the 1999 Eastern World Championships at Manzanita, he went on to claim the last WoO race of the millennium at Las Vegas in front of the TNN cameras. The "off-season" provided little rest for the determined driver and his hard-working crew, as the boys traveled to Australia, where Donny was victorious in six races.

After so much success, the Schatz crew had very high expectations for the 2000 season, however bouts of bad luck have kept "The Kid" from realizing his true potential.

At best, it has been a season of ups and downs with the traveling warriors. Mechanical troubles, unavoidable accidents, early season injuries and crew-member changes have plagued the Parker Stores team as it struggles to keep the yellow No. 15 competitive.

There have been bright moments, but they too have succumbed to heartbreaking defeats. In front of the TNN crowd at Bristol Motor Speedway, Donny was on his way to a history making win when a rock pierced the radiator, ending his night early. A month later at Eldora's King's Royal, he was expecting a strong performance that never materialized, leaving him 14th in the final standings. At Pevely, Missouri, in late July, he won the Channellock Dash to start on his first pole of the season, only to drop backwards to 11th place.

The circuit's three trips to the Knoxville Raceway have also been roller-coaster rides for Donny this season. He struggled to make this feature during the first 2000 stop there in April, only to spin out in the fourth turn. July brought improved performances, yet was still punctured with gut-wrenching disappointments. Over the Fourth of July weekend, Donny doggedly fought his way from the 11th starting spot and appeared on his way to a huge win in the first-ever 50-lap feature, when Stevie Smith took advantage of the late-race restart to claim the $20,000 victory. Even though it didn't show up in the win column, the finish still brought a moral victory to the team.

Donny appeared to be picking up where he left off when the tour rolled through the Sprint Car Capital of the World for the final Nationals tune-up on July 19 - taking a 15.341-second tour around the hallowed half-mile to set quick time for the evening. Things began to turn for the worse in his heat race after tangling with another car and taking a slow rollover on the backstretch.

After dominating the B-Main to gain a mid-pack starting spot for the feature, he began trying to work on his way to the front. Unfortunately, the car got too high in the first turn, jumping the cushion and sending Donny hard into the fence. With his car broken and battered, he would be forced to accept a 23rd-place finish.

After such a strange season, a top showing in the Knoxville Nationals would prove vindicating and serve as a nice 23rd-birthday present for Donny. And though some may see that as a long shot this year, he certainly still has the talent and desire to win.

At the very least, he will be looking to better his ninth-place showing in Saturday's A-Main from last year, and it would be awesome to see him better his fourth-place finish in 1998 and make his first appearance on the Nationals podium.

Schatz fans will also be looking to see their driver walk away with a qualifying-night victory in 2000. Donny has taken second on his qualifying night in the previous two Nationals. In 1998, he ran a close second to Steve Kinser on Thursday night and scored a personal victory on Saturday when he passed "The King" for fourth on the last lap. In 1999, he ran a very close second to fellow young lion Tyler Walter in his qualifying feature.

Through all the mixed emotions of the 2000 season, Donny and his crew have showed persistence and courage, and have never given up their desire to win. And his family and friends have shown unwavering support and compassion for their man. While it would certainly make the legions of Schatz fans happy to see their driver run away with the $100,000 top Nationals prize, we will surely continue to support Donny's effort in whatever place he earns.