FORT WORTH, TX (April 3) – Donny Schatz and the ParkerStore team were hoping Saturday night was going to be their breakthrough performance of the 2004 World of Outlaws Sprint Series season, but unfortunately, it was a tough night from start to finish.

”We just really never got going in the right direction,” said Schatz, who finished outside the top nine for only the second time this season when he came home 15th in the NGK Spark Plugs Shootout at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. “We went out late to qualify and that really hurt us all night. In the feature, I just tried to run around the top and it was just too far around. We’ll put this night behind us and try to stay as close to Steve as we can (in the point standings)."

Schatz and the ParkerStore team was one of the last to take the track in time trials, and he piloted his familiar yellow and black #15 ParkerStore J&J around the 4/10-mile banked dirt oval. He qualified 21st and finished second in the third heat race. A sixth place finish in the first dash event put Schatz inside of row five for the 30-lap “A” feature.

Schatz worked all aspects of the track in the feature, but couldn’t move forward. The track was very wide and there was a big difference in running the top and hugging the inside lane. Schatz was rim-riding and hoping to pass his way into another top ten finish, but it wasn’t too be on this Texas night as he finished 15th.

The ParkerStore team will head north and east this week as they make their way to the high-speed high banks of Eldora Speedway in Western Ohio for races on Friday and Saturday night. Schatz has two career wins at the famous half-mile. First, it was in August 2002 when he dominated the $100,000-to-win Historical Big One, and then last April he won the World of Outlaws preliminary feature.

“I always like going to Eldora,” said Schatz, who remains in second in the WoO standings, tied with Tim Shaffer and trailing Steve Kinser by 70 points. “Anytime you get going that fast it’s quite a thrill. We’ve been decent there the past few times. My guys are working hard and I’m hoping to have some people from Parker at the race, too. We’d sure like to have another strong showing there.”