Schatz in the Driver’s Seat for $116,000 Eldora Visit
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ROSSBURG, OH – If the adage ‘money is the greatest motivator’ is indeed true, Donny Schatz has got to be pumped about his upcoming visit to Eldora Speedway. Over a five-night period, the reigning World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car champion could rack up $116,000 in prize money, and more importantly solidify his current stronghold atop the 2008 cumulative WoO points chase, which would equate to an even greater pay day at the end of the season.
Schatz’s quest for financial greatness kicks off Tuesday night,July 8, when he shifts gears and gets behind the wheel of his Armor All sponsored 360 Sprint machine for leg number two of the Ollie’s Outlet 360 Challenge.
As winner of the opening leg June 17 at Sharon (OH) Speedway, Schatz is in the driver’s seat for the $50,000 bonus being posted for any driver winning two of the three Ollie’s events. Leg number three will be contested August 19 at Williams Grove (PA) Speedway.
A victory Tuesday night would increase Schatz’s banking account by $56,000, with the bonus money added to the standard feature payoff.
Following Tuesday’s effort, Schatz will then strap back into his potent Tony Stewart Racing owned 410 Sprint Car campaigned regularly on the WoO trail, for two successive nights (July 11 & 12) of Eldora Speedway racing, as part of the fabled Kings Royal weekend festivities.
Friday’s traditional Knight Before the Kings Royal will see a $10,000 paycheck up for grabs, while Saturday’s 25th annual running of the Kings Royal, with Schatz as the defending champion, will boast of the time honored $50,000 cash award.
The monetary incentive is there and Schatz has the credentials to get the job done; however, there are a multitude of teams hoping to thwart his run for the money.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle will be Tuesday’s unique format for the Ollie’s 360 Challenge.Rather than the standard time trial policy for line-up placement, a ‘draw for heat position’ and the ‘passing points’ system will be used throughout the night to determine placement in events subsequent to the heat races. This system was utilized at Sharon and created interesting line-ups that rewarded drivers for consistency and ability, rather than pure speed and horsepower.
In the end, Schatz prevailed, despite a late-race charge from Danny Lasoski.
The Fargo, ND veteran then heads into the weekend full steam and with anticipation.Prior to 2007, he was unable to get a handle on Eldora’s oft-tricky layout, but with the Kings Royal title currently in his court, Schatz backed that up with quick time honors and a runner-up finish in WoO’s initial 2008 Eldora appearance and then polished his resume with a victory when the tour returned on May 31.
Advance tickets for each of the three events may be purchased in advance by visiting the track’s website www.eldoraspeedway.com anytime, or by calling the track office (937) 338-3815 during normal business hours.
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