Schatz Earns
Second Consecutive
Fast-Qualifier Award

SARVER, PA (May 25) – Donny Schatz was on a mission in Tuesday’s Commonwealth Classic at Lernerville Speedway. The 26 year-old World of Outlaws Sprint Series standout was making a charge in the 35-lap “A” Feature event when suddenly the rearend driveline in his #15 ParkerStore J&J wouldn’t operate. Schatz was forced into the pit area and credited with a 20th place finish.

“We were certainly a top three car tonight,” said Schatz following the race. “Something happened early in the race and we dropped back, but then came back forward. The car was a rocket tonight, and I hate that we couldn’t finish the race.”

The event started well again for Schatz as he earned his second consecutive fast-qualifier award pacing the field with a lap of 13.084 seconds. He finished fifth in the first heat race and fourth in the first dash event.

By finishing fourth in the dash, he started the 35-lap “A” Feature in the seventh position. After an early red flag, Schatz had a problem on the third lap dropping from sixth to 12th position. The problem somehow fixed itself as Schatz stormed back inside the top ten. He passed Daryn Pittman for eighth on lap 11 and two laps later raced past Jonathan Allard for seventh. On the 18th lap, Schatz passed both Joey Saldana and Craig Dollansky with a low move in turns one and two to move into fifth.

Two laps later, Schatz coasted to a stop on the front stretch when the car would no longer drive.

Crew Chief Tyler Swank and Crewman Brian Bloomfield and John Cressman will find more answers to the mysterious problem on Wednesday when they take the rear-end apart to asses the damages. It will be a quick turnaround for the team as they head to Williams Grove Speedway for two nights of racing on Thursday and Friday.

“Not finishing the race will hurt us in the points, but we know it’s a long season,” continued Schatz, who dropped from third to fourth in the WoO standings. “We won’t be the only one with a mechanical failure. The guys in front of us will have their problems too. Now, we must focus on doing well at Williams Grove. I’ve really liked racing there, and that’s probably because we’ve done so well there the past few years.”