LAS VEGAS, NV - Donny Schatz started the Silver State Shootout at Las Vegas Motor Speedway like a rocket leading 28 of 30 laps in the opener that was televised live on TNN: The National Network. However, just when it looked like Schatz would win his first race of the season Andy Hillenburg squeezed by and stole the win, and things didn't get any better on Saturday and Sunday.

"We're disappointed about the weekend in Las Vegas," said Schatz, who finished second, eighth and 21st in the three-night program. "We had the car to win on Friday, but I got a little cautious with lapped traffic and gave someone else the opportunity to get in there. On Saturday, we started on the front row again and were fooled by the racetrack. We thought it was going to take rubber and went with too hard of tires. In the final night, we started off with motor problems during hot laps, but thought we had it all figured out after winning the heat race. We had a good start in the feature, and I thought we had a shot at another top three finish, but the motor quit on us."

Schatz accumulated the fifth most points in the two preliminary programs. During hot laps on Sunday, the ParkerStore #15 wouldn't fire so crew chief Kenny Woodruff and the crew replaced the engine. The problems seemed to be behind Schatz as he dominated the first O'Reilly Heat race earning the fifth starting spot in Sunday's 30-lap finale. The "Minot Missile" made his way into fourth place early on in the race, but after the second caution period the motor shut off. After returning to his trailer, the crew determined that a broken fuel pump was the source of the problem. He was credited with a 21st place finish, marking the first time in four races this season that he finished outside of the top ten.

"It definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth," said Schatz. "We came out this season to consistently run up front and we were doing that all weekend, but didn't come away with a lot to show for it. It's really frustrating to have a part failure this early in the season, especially when were in a good position on the track. I guess those things are going to happen from time to time. I know KW (crew chief Kenny Woodruff) is one of the best at keeping the car race ready, and this wasn't anything that we could have prepared for. We'll just get back after it next week at Devil's Bowl."

Schatz will return to action on Friday at Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX for a two-night program.