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| Donny Schatz | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Schatz at the 2007 Kings Royal | |||||||
| Born | Donald R. Schatz (1977-08-10)August 10, 1977 (age 47) Minot, North Dakota, U.S. | ||||||
| World of Outlaws career | |||||||
| Debut season | 1997 | ||||||
| Current team | Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing | ||||||
| Car number | 15 | ||||||
| Engine | Ford | ||||||
| Championships | 10 | ||||||
| Wins | 315 | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 2006–2009, 2012, 2014–2018 | World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series | ||||||
NASCAR driver | |||||||
| NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| 2021 position | 84th | ||||||
| Best finish | 84th (2021) | ||||||
| First race | 2021Corn Belt 150 (Knoxville) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics current as of June 23 2022. | |||||||
Donald R. Schatz (born August 10, 1977) is an American professionalsprint car racing driver who competes full-time in theWorld of Outlaws, driving the No. 15Ford forTony Stewart Racing. Schatz is a ten-time champion in the World of Outlaws with a current total of 315 wins.
Schatz is son of Danny Christ Schatz, a sprint car driver in the 1970s, and Diane Korgel. He started his racing career at 11 in go karts, and moved to 358 sprint cars as a 15-year-old at Red River Valley Speedway. Schatz moved to 410 sprints and The World of Outlaws series three seasons later as an 18-year-old.
Schatz won the 1997 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year award, and picked up his first A-feature win in 1998.[citation needed].
Schatz has gone on to win ten championships in 2006–2009, 2012, and 2014–2018.[1] He became only the second driver to win the points championship four years in a row, with the other beingSteve Kinser.[1] Since 2006 he has recorded a top two points finish, with three second places to go along with the ten championships.
As of June 19th, 2021, Schatz has 300 WoO wins, third most all-time behindSteve Kinser andSammy Swindell.
Prestigious wins include theKnoxville Nationals eleven times, (2006–09, 2011–15, 2017, 2022), theKings Royal six times,(2007, 2009, 2016-18, 2023), the 2006, 2007, 2020 Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup; the Brad Doty Classic in 2013, 2016 and 2018; the 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2020 National Open at William's Grove Speedway, and the inaugural World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008. He also holds the record for farthest in the field a winner of theKnoxville Nationals has started, when he won from the 21st starting position in 2013.
In 2008, he moved toTony Stewart Racing, and continues to drive for that team today.
Schatz has spent time racing inAustralia during his career. He won theGrand Annual Sprintcar Classic at thePremier Speedway inWarrnambool,Victoria back to back in 2001 & 2002. Donny was runner up in the 1999/2000 and 2001/02World Series Sprintcars series.
On June 2, 2021, it was announced that Schatz would make hisNASCAR andstock car racing debut in the inauguralTruck Series race atKnoxville Raceway, driving the No. 17 forDavid Gilliland Racing.[2]
He was a 1995 graduate ofMinot High School. He currently lives inFargo, North Dakota. He has a step-daughter, Savanna. Schatz is a licensed pilot and spends a great deal of time working with his parents in their family truck stop businesses in Fargo and Minot. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and snowmobiling.[3]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: Add World of Outlaws results. You can help byadding to it.(June 2021) |
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | NCWTC | Pts | Ref |
| 2021 | David Gilliland Racing | 17 | Ford | DAY | DAY | LVS | ATL | BRI | RCH | KAN | DAR | COA | CLT | TEX | NAS | POC | KNX 32 | GLN | GTW | DAR | BRI | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO | 84th | 7 | [4] |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | World of Outlaws Champion 2006-2009 | Succeeded by Jason Meyers |
| Preceded by Jason Meyers | World of Outlaws Champion 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Daryn Pittman | World of Outlaws Champion 2014–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by | World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Knoxville Nationals Winner 2006–2009 2011–2015 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Joey Saldana Daryn Pittman | Kings Royal Winner 2007 2009 | Succeeded by Daryn Pittman Steve Kinser |