Mechanicsburg, PA (October 1) - Donny Schatz has been blazing a pretty impressive trail in the final weeks of the 2005 World of Outlaws season. Schatz was once again the class of the field at Williams Grove Speedway in the 43rd annual National Open. Schatz won his third National Open crown after taking the lead on the 17th lap of the 40-lap race.

"This feels really good to come here and win this race," said Schatz, following his ninth career victory at "The Grove". "We've been really good here in the past and this year we did it a little different way. Our ParkerStore team led by Ricky Warner did a great job tonight. I wasn't happy we lost a few spots in the dash, but honestly that was the best thing for us. We tried some things that didn't work and went the other way for the feature."

"I have to thank all the people that make this possible. Our sponsors like ParkerStore. Our manufacturers J&J Auto Racing, Shaver Racing Engines, Hoosier Tires, Afco Shocks, Sander Engineering, Mobil 1, and K&N Filters, and the team of people that are at the races. My parents, Ricky, Dion Hindi and Dillon Pendelton. It's a total team effort and that's how we can win these big races."

Schatz was locked into Saturday's program following a third place finish in Friday's preliminary feature event. He started third in the Stacker2 Dash, but finished fifth and started the National Open feature in the third row.

Early in the feature event, Schatz found himself in sixth place, but started working his way up to the front. First, he passed Keith Kauffman for fifth and then took fourth from Craig Dollansky. By lap ten he was in third after getting by Friday's winner Fred Rahmer. He was in second place following a restart, which saw him pass Greg Hodnett and then set his sights on leader Daryn Pittman. As the two got into lapped traffic, the Fargo, ND racer made his way into the lead with a low move heading into turn three. Schatz came out with the lead and drove away to score his eighth World of Outlaws "A" feature of the season and capture the $30,000 first prize.

The ParkerStore team will return to action next week at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, KS with two nights of racing beginning Friday. With only three weeks of racing remaining, Schatz and his team are hoping to conclude their season with bang as they prepare for the 2006 World of Outlaws title chase.

Keep up with all the latest news on Donny Schatz by logging onto www.donnyschatz.com and www.parker.com/racing

(Photo Courtesy of Chris Dolack)