SETS SIGHTS ON BECOMING
TWO-TIME WINNER OF WILLIAMS
GROVE SPEEDWAY SUMMER
NATIONALS July 24-26

ROSSBURG, OH ~ July 19, 2003 ~ Donny Schatz brought the ParkerStores #15 Shaver J & J to seventh in the finishing order of the 20th Annual Kings Royal despite going to the rear of the field for changing tires under red flag conditions with just ten laps to go in the 40-lap race. Steve Kinser was the winner of his fifth crown in the event at Eldora Speedway.

The track took tremendous amounts of rubber as the laps clicked off in the feature, uncharacteristic to the famed Ohio oval. The change in the racing surface as a result of the rubber build up increased the wear on the tires, putting Schatz as well as several other competitors at risk of wearing down a tire and possibly crashing.

When the red flag flew on lap 30 for an accident involving Jac Haudenschild, ParkerStores team crew chief, Tyler Swank made the swift decision to change both rear tires to ensure Schatz have an opportunity to finish the race. The North Dakota driver was running sixth at the time of the red. Schatz and six other drivers were put to the back of the lead lap for the restart putting him in the tenth position for the final ten-lap shootout to the checkers.

Schatz started the night's competition with a good qualifying effort, fourth in the order of the 40 cars attempting to make the field for the $50,000 to win event.

The ParkerStores driver started on the outside of the third row in the first heat scoring the second place finish and putting him in the dash to determine his starting position for the feature. Schatz started on the inside of the third row in the second dash and finished third, putting him in outside third row for the A-Main.

"Considering how substantially tire wear played into the race, we feel pretty good about our finish here tonight," said Schatz. "We felt like we were going to be a strong contender for the win tonight but it just wasn't in the cards, Tyler (Swank) made a good call to change the rear tires under the red flag. If we had not done that, as fast as they were burning off, we could very well have ended up wrecked instead of seventh."

Schatz and the ParkerStores team have now set their sights on a repeat win at Lernerville Speedway, Sarver, PA Tuesday, July 22. They scored an impressive victory when the winged sprint car touring series visited the track in May. The team then faces another big three-day race weekend at Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA July 24-26 for the Summer Nationals. Schatz was victorious in the event in 2000.

"I am looking forward to the Grove," said Schatz. "I like the track and we have always run well there. Even though the Summer Nationals aren't considered one of the Big Three money races, winning that event is a nice addition to your resume and continues to build the momentum for the team as we face the Big One and then the Knoxville Nationals."

Following Williams Grove, Schatz and company will make appearances at New Egypt Speedway, New Egypt, NJ; Sharon Speedway, Hartford, OH; K-C Raceway, Chillicothe, OH; PowerCom Raceway, Beaver Dam, WI and Hartford Speedway Park, Hartford, MI before heading back to Eldora Speedway for the running of the $100,000 to win ‘The Historic Big One’. Schatz is the defending champion of the event.

(Digital photography by David Allio)