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Grays Harbor Gives Schatz His 20th Win of the Season

After winning Monday night's Lucky Eagle Casino Outlaw Invasion at Grays Harbor Raceway, Donny Schatz has entered territory few other World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series drivers before him have ever been in.

With his 20th win this season now in the books, the Tony Stewart Racing driver is the first since Steve Kinser's 2002 and 2003 seasons to have consecutive 20-win seasons and his six race win streak moves Schatz closer to legendary seasons had by three-time champion Sammy Swindell and Kinser.

"Well, it feels great," Schatz said. "It's kind of overwhelming really. You come here every day wanting to win. The reality of it is most days you're not going to. It's been a great year. It's not over yet. We've got a lot of races left and we'll just keep working hard."

"There's no way you could ever dream of being in this position but I'm here. I'm living it - I'm loving it."

Kinser led the field to the green on the 3/10 mile oval after winning his heat and the dash. The 20-time champion built up a healthy lead as Schatz battled with Cody Darrah for the second position.

With lapped traffic in play, Schatz found his way around Darrah on lap nine and then he drove his STP / Armor All car around Kinser on the same lap as the two came out of turn four.

Darrah then set his sights on Kinser's Bad Boy Buggies car in the second position. After working on Kinser for several laps, Darrah took the second spot back over on lap 17. The move however was short lived as the caution flag flew on lap 22.

When the field returned to green, Kinser jumped past Darrah as Darrah slipped back giving up several positions.

"We entered one in fifth or sixth and I think I might have gotten one or two cars there and then in three and four I just gave it all I could give," said Darrah, driver of the Ollie's Bargain Outlet car. "Doing that I stuck my right rear and I realized the way I was driving before, trying to lift and moving my car around and trying to get lift - I kind of did that out of desperation but I learned a lot about how we were working on our car."

As the field completed lap 23, Schatz led Kinser in second and Darrah in third. With the laps winding down, Darrah slid Kinser, taking over the second spot just before the checkered flag flew.

Kinser, who finished third after leading the first nine laps of the race, said he was disappointed he did not bring home the win, but he was happy with a podium finish.

"It's better than what it has been," Kinser said. "I got a little loose but stayed in the hunt. A little better, we might have gone the right way."

Darrah said he felt like his Kasey Kahne Racing car had something for Schatz but he said he was up on his wheels and put himself in a bad position.

"It's nice to come out of here with a second place," Darrah said. "I really feel like we're working toward beating this 15 but he's in his own league right now."

Schatz again credited his team and crew chief Ricky Warner for all the work they do providing him with a racecar capable of winning night in and night out.

"It was fun. I had a great racecar," Schatz said. "These guys just keep making the right decisions and every time you get in it, it's definitely the most fun car to drive right now. Hats off to them, they're working their tails off and it shows."

Schatz now leads second place Daryn Pittman by 219 points in the race for the championship. Third place Paul McMahan is 282 points out of the lead.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series heads south to Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. on Tuesday and Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore. on Wednesday before heading to California for a three race swing.

GRAYS HARBOR RACEWAY NOTES: Donny Schatz scored his 20th win of the season and sixth in a row… Donny Schatz is the first driver since Steve Kinser in 2002 and 2003 to have back-to-back seasons with more than 20 wins… Schatz has not finished outside the top-three since July 18… Daryn Pittman scored his third quick time of the season at Grays Harbor… Jonathan Allard was the KSE Hard Charger Award recipient after advancing seven positions in the A main to finish in 12th.

SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 20 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 15, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 6, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 19, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 27, I-96 Speedway on May 31, River Cities Speedway on June 20, 34 Raceway on June 27, Cedar Lake Speedway on June 29, Lernerville Speedway on July 15, Autodrome Drummond on July 26, Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 27, Ohsweken Speedway on July 29, Knoxville Raceway on Aug. 9, Junction Motor Speedway on Aug. 12, Nodak Speedway on Aug. 17, Castrol Raceway on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, Skagit Speedway on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 and Grays Harbor Raceway on Sept. 1); Daryn Pittman - 12 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 14, Calistoga Speedway on April 6, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 19, Williams Grove Speedway on May 16 and May 17, Orange County Fair Speedway, May 18, New Egypt Speedway, May 20, Dodge City Raceway Park on July 4 and 5, Lincoln Speedway on July 17, Fulton Speedway on July 23 and River Cities Speedway on Aug. 15); Kerry Madsen - 5 (Stockton Dirt track on March 22, El Paso Speedway Park on April 15, Lakeside Speedway on June 7, Eldora Speedway on July 12 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 3); Joey Saldana - 5 (Perris Auto Speedway on April 12, Salina Highbanks on April 25, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 23, I-80 Speedway on June 6 and Jackson Speedway on June 13); Brad Sweet - 5 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Tucson International Raceway on March 8, Calistoga Speedway on April 5, Knoxville Raceway on June 14 and Beaver Dam Raceway on June 28); David Gravel - 4 (Merced Speedway on March 28, Eldora Speedway on May 3, Wilmot Raceway on May 9 and Lebanon Valley Speedway on July 20); Paul McMahan - 4 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 5, Tri-State Speedway on May 10, Limaland Motorsports Park on July 9 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 1); Cody Darrah - 2 (Kings Speedway on April 11 and Lernerville Speedway on July 15); Sammy Swindell - 2 (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on April 26 and Eldora Speedway on July 11); Rico Abreu - 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 15);Christopher Bell - 1 (Jacksonville Speedway on May 7); Dale Blaney - 1 (Attica Raceway Park on May 30); Lance Dewease - 1 (July 20 at Williams Grove Speedway); Greg Hodnett - 1 (July 18 at Williams Grove Speedway); Roger Crockett - 1 (I-94 Speedway on June 21); Mark Dobmeier - 1 (Huset's Speedway on July 2); Steve Kinser - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 16); Stevie Smith - 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 14); Shane Stewart - 1 (Eldora Speedway on May 2).

World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Grays Harbor Raceway; Elma, Wash.; Sept. 1, 2014

A-Main - (30 Laps) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [3] [$6,000]; 2. 4-Cody Darrah [2] [$3,500]; 3. 11-Steve Kinser [1] [$2,000]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [5] [$1,800]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [10] [$1,500]; 6. 1s-Logan Schuchart [4] [$1,400]; 7. 29-Kerry Madsen [6] [$1,350]; 8. 33V-Henry VanDam [9] [$1,300]; 9. 71M-Joey Saldana [7] [$1,250]; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser [8] [$1,200]; 11. 51-Paul McMahan [12] [$900]; 12. 3C-Jonathan Allard [19] [$800]; 13. 83-David Gravel [15] [$700]; 14. 44W-Austen Wheatley [14] [$650]; 15. 18-Jason Solwold [13] [$600]; 16. 49-Brad Sweet [11] [$550]; 17. 57-Reece Goetz [21] [$500]; 18. 7S-Jason Sides [16] [$500]; 19. 98-Matt Jensen [20] [$500]; 20. 2J-Jonathan Jorgenson [22] [$500]; 21. 4J-Allison Journey [23] [$500]; 22. 22-Mike Romig [24] [$500]; 23. 7-Kevin Smith [17] [$500]; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen [18] [$500]. Lap Leaders: Steve Kinser 1-9, Donny Schatz 10-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 3C-Jonathan Allard [+7]

Qualifying - 1. 9-Daryn Pittman, 11.973; 2. 71M-Joey Saldana, 12.159; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.160; 4. 29-Kerry Madsen, 12.234; 5. 1s-Logan Schuchart, 12.266; 6. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.356; 7. 33V-Henry VanDam, 12.445; 8. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.523; 9. 66-Barry Martinez, 12.531; 10. 11-Steve Kinser, 12.558; 11. 4-Cody Darrah, 12.584; 12. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.589; 13. 51-Paul McMahan, 12.597; 14. 18-Jason Solwold, 12.607; 15. 26-Tayler Malsam, 12.638; 16. 44W-Austen Wheatley, 12.659; 17. 83-David Gravel, 12.760; 18. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.793; 19. 7-Kevin Smith, 12.795; 20. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.947; 21. 3C-Jonathan Allard, 12.958; 22. 98-Matt Jensen, 13.262; 23. 55-Trey Starks, 13.269; 24. 57-Reece Goetz, 13.698; 25. 22-Mike Romig, 13.790; 26. 4J-Allison Journey, 13.817; 27. 2J-Jonathan Jorgenson, 13.907

Heat 1 - (8 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 11-Steve Kinser [1]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [4]; 3. 29-Kerry Madsen [3]; 4. 33V-Henry VanDam [2]; 5. 51-Paul McMahan [5]; 6. 44W-Austen Wheatley [6]; 7. 98-Matt Jensen [8]; 8. 7-Kevin Smith [7]; 9. 22-Mike Romig [9]

Heat 2 - (8 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 4-Cody Darrah [1]; 2. 71M-Joey Saldana [4]; 3. 2-Shane Stewart [2]; 4. 83-David Gravel [6]; 5. 1s-Logan Schuchart [3]; 6. 18-Jason Solwold [5]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [7]; 8. 4J-Allison Journey [9]; 9. 55-Trey Starks [8]

Heat 3 - (8 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 3. 11K-Kraig Kinser [4]; 4. 3C-Jonathan Allard [7]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [6]; 6. 2J-Jonathan Jorgenson [9]; 7. 66-Barry Martinez [2]; 8. 57-Reece Goetz [8]; 9. 26-Tayler Malsam [5]

Dash - (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) - 1. 11-Steve Kinser [2]; 2. 4-Cody Darrah [1]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 4. 1s-Logan Schuchart [4]; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman [8]; 6. 29-Kerry Madsen [5]; 7. 71M-Joey Saldana [7]; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6]

Last Chance Showdown - (12 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 1A-Jacob Allen [4] [-]; 2. 98-Matt Jensen [5] [-]; 3. 57-Reece Goetz [7] [-]; 4. 7-Kevin Smith [3] [-]; 5. 4J-Allison Journey [9] [-]; 6. 22-Mike Romig [8] [-]; 7. 66-Barry Martinez [1] [$200]; 8. 55-Trey Starks [6] [$180]; 9. 26-Tayler Malsam [2] [$175

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