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Schatz Wins One at #LetsRaceTwo

Eight-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Champion and current points leader Donny Schatz scored his ninth season win on the second and final night of #LetsRaceTwo at Eldora Speedway, leading all 30 laps into the checkers. Behind him, a fierce battle for second and third ensued, in which Outlaws Brad Sweet and Jason Johnson ultimately lost out to Ohio native Chad Kemenah and West Coast favorite Rico Abreu.

World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year contender Sheldon Haundenschild — quite popular at the track given the loud applause heard from fans — started in second next to Schatz, but fell back almost immediately with Brad Sweet and Jason Johnson battling for his spot. Heading into Lap 12, however, Kemenah, who had been dilligently working his way up from eighth, stole third from Johnson and started pressing on Sweet.

A Lap 20 restart after Shane Stewart slapped the wall in Turn 4, ending the night for the Larson Marks Racing #2 car, gave Kemenah an opening to battle Schatz for the lead, but the reigning champ pulled ahead and maintained his lead throughout the race.

"That's not me; that's this race team," said Schatz. "These guys are incredible. They're all capable of being crew chiefs on this car. They feed off each other. Sometimes I don't give the best information. I try to do my best job, but some days I'm racing Lap 29 and they're trying to figure out how to start the race. It's just lucky to be around great people like that. It's fun to get a win, especially here at Eldora."

Unlike the previous night — in which the Craftsman Club Dash inversion pushed Schatz back into position seven from Row 1 and put Johnson on the pole — the Tony Stewart Racing driver got lucky with an invert of six that put him on the pole after a less than stellar start to the day, while Tim Shaffer got pushed all the way to the back after earning the pole.

Surprisingly, no driver visited Victory Lane twice during the two-day event at the famed half-mile oval, and spectators witnessed two very different nights of racing at the 'Big E'. The bottom was slicker, and the track was faster overall, allowing Shaffer to score a qualifying Quick Time of 12.915, not far off from the 12.707-second track record established by Craig Dollansky 15 years ago. And despite Schatz's win, he remained the only Outlaw in Victory Lane.

"We'll take second against these guys," said Kemenah. "You know, they are the best."

But this wasn't Kemenah's first trip to Victory Lane during #LetsRaceTwo. Last year, he followed Kerry Madsen into the checkers for another second place win. "This is really good," said the Alvada, Ohio native. "Two years in a row now I ran second in this thing, so I need one more."

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