COTTAGE GROVE, OR ~ August 26, 2003 ~ Despite jumping the cushion on the first lap of the race that sent him to the back of the 24-car field, and a flat left front tire when the final yellow flag of the race flew on lap 34 of the 40-lap event, Donny Schatz drove the #15 ParkerStores Shaver J & J to seventh when the checkered flew.

"Figuratively speaking, we kept climbing the hill and sliding back down again tonight," said Schatz. "We qualified well, then had the problem in the heat but made it to a transfer spot, then won the dash and had problems in the feature. It was just an up and down night.

"As always, I had a great car. It went everywhere I needed it to go on the track and we were fast. We just had a few too many little things bite us which kept us from a better finish but another top-ten isn't bad with competition as tough as it is on this circuit."

Schatz turned in the eighth quickest time of the 32 cars on hand for the one-night event at Cottage Grove Speedway, Oregon. He went on to finish fourth in his heat race despite an off track excursion that sent him to the back of the field forcing him to charge back to grab the qualifying finish. Schatz then put an exclamation point on the evening to that point by winning the dash putting him on the outside of the front row for the feature.

Eventual A-main winner, Steve Kinser, had the preferred inside starting spot on the front row next to Schatz. At the drop of the green, Schatz took the high groove to make the pass on "The King" through turns one and two but hooked the cushion and was forced to restart at the back of the field.

Battling both competitors for position and lapped cars, Schatz had moved to sixth in the field when the final yellow of the race flew with six laps remaining. As the field slowed to lineup single file circling the track prior to the restart, crew chief Tyler Swank saw that Schatz's left front tire was flat. After signaling his driver to alert him to the problem, the pair determined there wasn't enough laps left to come in and change the tire which would again result in Schatz going to the end of the lead lap cars. The North Dakota driver was left with only three good tires to hold his position in front of stiff competition to the checkered flag.

At the drop of the green flag, Schatz drifted up just slightly allowing Johnny Herrera to make an inside pass to take the sixth spot but Schatz held on to seventh until the end of the race.

Following Kinser to the flag were Joey Saldana, Danny Lasoski, Daryn Pittman and Sammy Swindell.

The annual three-day Harvest Classic at Calistoga Speedway begins Friday, August 29, 2003.

(Digital photography by David Allio)