Schatz Takes Friday Night Win at Attica Raceway Park
ATTICA, Ohio - Donny Schatz has been so close to the victory lane so many times this year, only to come up just short. The Fargo, N.D. driver drove around Nashville, Tenn.hot shoe Paul McMahon on lap 11 and went on to take the 40-lap Kistler Engine’s Classic at Attica Raceway Park Friday night, May 30. It was the second Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws victory of 2008 for the two-time and defending series champion.
“I love racing on a wide, slick track like this…it’s racey and you can make passes,” said the driver of the Tony Stewart Motorsports Armorall sponsored #15. “The crew has been working extremely hard…all we need is to get some racing in…it seems if you need rain all you have to do is schedule a World of Outlaws race. We got the breaks we needed tonight.”
McMahon, piloting the Rick and Kathy Ferkel owned, Shorty’s Recycling backed #0 bolted into the early lead with Wooster, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild in the City Insulation R19, Schatz and Steve Kinser in the Q Power Motoroils #11 racing hard for second. Schatz would dispose of Haudenschild for the second apot on lap five and would quickly begin moving in on McMahon. He drove around the outside for the lead exiting turn four on lap 11 and was into lapped traffic a lap later.
Meanwhile, the huge crowd was treated to great action for the third spot between Haudenschild, Findlay’s Chad Kemenah in the Kantor Oil sprinter, Joey Saldana in the Kasey Kahne Racing, Budweiser #9 and Kinser. Shane Stewart in the Roth Motorsports sprinter would enter that fight by lap 14.
The action would slow for a caution on lap 17, with the running order Schatz, McMahon, Haudenschild, Saldana and Kemenah. Kemenah would get a great restart and pass both Saldana and Haudenscild for the third spot. At the halfway mark, Schatz had built a comfortable lead over McMahon, Kemenah and a good battle for fourth spot between Haudenschild, Saldana and Kinser.
While Schatz pulled away, Kemenah, McMahon, Saldana, Haudenschild and Kinser would wage a great batle for the second spot, with Kemenah holding the advantage from laps 21-27. Saldana, last year’s World of Outlaws victor at Attica, would move into third on lap 22 and began to put pressure on Kemenah for the runner-up spot.
Schatz would hit lapped traffic again on lap 26 before the yellow would fly, giving him a clear track once again. Saldana would drive around Kemenah into second on lap 28, just before the caution would fly for Kinser, who went pitside with rear end woes.The cars on the move were Tim Shaffer in the Casey’s General Store backed #6, and Byron Reed in the Reebar Diecasting #5, moving from 25th and 24th starting spots respectively. Shaffer was up to 10th by lap 29, while Reed was 12th.
Again on the restart, Schatz drove away with Saldana, and now a closing Stewart and Kemenah in tow. Schatz hit lapped traffic again on lap 36, allowing Saldana to close the gap. But, Saldana ran out of laps and Schatz took he win. Saldana, Stewart, Kemenah, Jason Meyers and Haudenschild would follow to the checkers
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