About Donny Schatz...
All eyes will be on 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series (WoO) champion Donny Schatz in 2022 as he looks to win his 11th title. He enters the season with 302 career series victories, sitting second on the all-time win list behind Steve Kinser.
He'll look to rebound from his 2021 season where he finished fourth in points and picked up three (3) WoO victories. Schatz scored his 300th career WoO victory in a big way in 2021, winning at Dubuque (Iowa) Fairgrounds Speedway on June 18th with his parents in attendance.
The 10-Time WoO Champion ended the 2020 season third in the point standings having won five (5) feature events and racking up 24 Top-Five finishes and 43 Top-10 finishes. The season was the first time since 2011 he didn't end the season with double digit win. Schatz scored his 299th WoO victory in a big way, winning the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA on Oct. 3 picking up a season-high $75,000 payday.
Schatz ended the 2019 season second in points - the 14th year in-a-row that he finished first or second in points. He won 11 races and finished outside the top-10 only seven times in the 72-race season. The last time he finished second in points he went on a five-year run of winning the championship and at least 20 races each season. The 1997 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Winner had 294 career wins following the 2019 season.
The North Dakota-native has become the most prolific driver on the tour, as well as the third winningest driver in series history. In 2015, Schatz put together the best season of his career, which included 31 wins, a ninth Knoxville Nationals title, 60 top-fives, 70 top-tens, five quick time awards and no DNFs. When the dust settled on the season, Schatz took the championship with a commanding 544-point lead over Shane Stewart. Schatz's record season tied him with Steve Kinser for third most single season wins.
In 2016 Schatz was still the man to beat, as he amassed 25 wins, 60 top-fives and 77 top-tens with five quick time awards. Schatz was not always given the perfect scenario, but his series 11 KSE Hard Charger Awards was telling that he could start from anywhere and still be in contention.
His performance on the track resulted in championship seasons and earned Schatz special recognition, including five times being named a First team All-American by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association. He earned the 2007 Economaki Champion of Champions Award, and the National Sprint Car Poll voted Schatz its “Driver of the Year" following each of his five WoO championship seasons.
Since 1999, Schatz has spent time during the winter months in the U.S. racing sprint cars in Australia. His success “Down Under" has been remarkable, as he's won a number of major events both in the World Series Sprintcar tour and major events at Sydney Speedway, Supercheap Auto Archerfield Speedway in Brisbane and at Premier Speedway in Warrnambool. As a result, he's created quite a following in Australia.
During the past ten seasons, Schatz has expanded his racing to also include Dirt Late Model competition. After finishing fourth in the 2012 Prelude to the Dream event at Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, Schatz has continued to compete more and more behind the wheel of his No. 15 Petro of Fargo/Crossroads Truckstop/Fastlane Car Wash backed machine. He earned victories in North Dakota in each of the last eight seasons. He also made his World of Outlaws Late Model Series debut in July 2014 and competed in both the Knoxville Late Model Nationals and DIRTcar World Finals in each of the last six seasons.
Schatz is a licensed pilot and spends a great deal of time working with his parents in their family truck stop businesses in Fargo, where he resides, and Minot. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and snowmobiling.
In total World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship wins, Schatz is second only to Steve Kinser.
Previous Racing History: Donny Schatz was the 1993 WISSOTA Sprint Car Rookie of the Year and 1996 WISSOTA National Champion... Has won the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic in Australia twice (2001 & 2002)... Schatz is a six-time National Open winner... Has won the famed Kings Royal five times... Schatz is seven-time winner of the $50K to win Sprintcar International at Parramatta City Raceway in Australia... Has won at least one race in Australia every year since 1999... Schatz is a 10-time Knoxville Nationals winner.