Mayfield Heights, OH - Donny Schatz and the ParkerStore World of Outlaw team pulled off the nearly impossible, and captured a "Fast Qualifier' award in the process.

Schatz and the crew were scheduled to compete at the Rolling Wheels Speedway in Elbridge, NY on Wednesday night, May 29th, and then travel 380 through the night to make an appearance at the Parker Hannifin Corporate Facility in Cleveland on Thursday morning. This was a very tight schedule to start with, but this was nothing compared to what the team squeezed into a 24-hour period.

Storm clouds had been threatening the Elbridge area the entire day, and the team was questioning how they were going to handle the situation if the show rains out and had to be completed on Thursday night.

The wheels were forced into motion when I received a text message from Bill Klingbeil at 6:30 Wednesday evening that said 'Please Call". I had just arrived at my son's little league game, and I knew that if they were calling at 7:30 (Eastern Time), there were rain problems, and we were going to have to pull off a little magic.

After leaving Bill a return message, we finally connected. "What do you want us to do," said Bill. "The show rained out and they are going to run it Thursday. Can the hospitality event be changed to Friday? Should we go to Cleveland and just miss the re-scheduled show? Just tell us what you want us to do."

After several phone calls with Bill, and a couple more with Danny Schatz (who was also trying to coordinate with Ted Johnson, the World of Outlaws president on the other line), the decision was made; hit the road for Cleveland. This was the first time the team had been scheduled to be at the corporate facility, and this was one show that no one wanted to miss.

The team arrived in Cleveland during the middle of night, caught a few hours of sleep and arrived at corporate right on time. The catch however, is that they had to keep a very tight schedule if there was going to be any chance of making the show back in New York. Plans for a facility tour and a dinner that evening had to be cancelled.

The team had the opportunity to meet with many of the employees during their brief visit. Many people used this opportunity to get Donny to sign their racing merchandise. "There was a steady stream of people coming outside to check things out," said Harry Waldron. "I think that the appearance was very successful, and that everybody really enjoyed having Donny and the team here."

The ParkerStore team pulled out of Cleveland right at 1:00 and headed six hours back up the road that they had traveled several hours earlier. World of Outlaws qualifications were scheduled for 6:30, and the odds of making it on time were very slim. In a follow up conversation at 6:15, the team had not arrived at the track yet, but they were close.

The team was the last to arrive in the pit area. They quickly unloaded the car and proceeded to go out and set fast time. This was the first time Donny had set fast time this season. Schatz went on to finish 5th in the main event, and picked up some valuable points in the process.

The Parker sponsored team went 'above and beyond the call of duty' to pull this appearance off without missing a show. That shows the dedication that these teams have toward their racing programs. Their efforts were definitely appreciated and did not go unnoticed.

"Maybe we should back track a little more often,' said team owner Danny Schatz in a later phone conversation. "That worked out alright".

(Article by John Strand)
(Photos by Brad Fischer)