World of Outlaws

Contact: Colby Gorniewicz
World of Outlaws PR
704-707-0229 | cgorniewicz@dirtcar.com

www.woosprint.com/results/2017-results/4247-2-19-2017-dirtcar-nationals

Schatz from a Cannon, Reverses his luck to win second DIRTcar Nationals Gator

BARBERSVILLE, Fla. - February 19, 2017 - It's not unusual for two series champions to face-off in the 46th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. In the first show of a Sunday double-header, eight-time World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Champion Donny Schatz revisited his fierce battle with Arctic Cat All-Star Circuit of Champions titleholder Chad Kemenah. Like the Wednesday night thriller - starting in the first row with Kemenah - Schatz again established himself as the best-of-the-best between the two series.

But it did not come easily for the Fargo, N.D. native, who has now won a DIRTcar Nationals show every year since 2011. On Friday night Schatz finished 14thin the feature, his worst finish since the series opener last season (when he placed 18th). But Schatz said one major adjustment was opting for a harder tire.

"We did make some tire changes today and went with a harder tire," Schatz said. "I think it hurt us early in the race, but they don't pay for the first lap they pay for the last. The driver just showed up today with an attitude. I guess you could say he made all the mistakes in one night (Friday)."

Once the green flag was waved, Schatz overtook Kemenah and extended his lead to nearly one second. Kemenah reclaimed his spot before the race's first caution on the ensuing restart. In the race's most exhilarating exchange, the two danced around each other - inversely switching lines high and low. Schatz was the first to take the lead, wedging his car under Kemenah's in the second turn. Kemenah used the back-stretch to regroup, and butted his left-front tire nearly up against the inside wall in turn three for first position.

On Lap 14, strategy played to Schatz's favor. Schatz made the decision to start on the inside of the race's second caution - as the two made their passes on the bottom earlier. Schatz was successful on the restart. Kemenah dropped off Schatz's pace - nearly two tenths faster than the field with each lap. This left the door open for Friday night's winner Jason Johnson to slip by Kemenah and secure a second-place finish; Kemenah settled for third.

Like Schatz, David Gravel also underwent a roller-coaster of a week. Gravel won Thursday's All-Star finale, but since has blown four motors. Expending his reserve, CJB Motorsports sent for three new motors to be shipped to Volusia. Gravel said race engines "eat dirt every day," so self-inflicted malfunctions are bound to happen.

On his fifth Kistler motor, Gravel turned-around Friday's last place finish by first setting Sunday afternoon's quick time with a 13.453. He carried that momentum to his heat race, doubling on his successes. A small scare in the Craftsman® Club Dash when he got into the turn two wall. Escaping with only minor damage this was the only hiccup Gravel had throughout the show, ultimately collecting his first World of Outlaws top-five performance of the year.

"When that fifth motor is good enough to quick time, it speaks to how good our engine program is," said Gravel, who added that he never lost doubt in his Kistler Engine package. "We never give up. We screwed up a little in the dash, but we just kept looking forward. There's no reason why we can't win tonight."

With the victory, Schatz can become the first Outlaw since Jeff Swindell and Sammy Swindell to win multiple series races in one day. Jeff Swindell first accomplished the one-day sweep at Rolling Wheels (N.Y.) Raceway Park on October 8, 1994. Sammy Swindell matched his younger brothers feat in 1999 at Bloomington Speedway.

Volusia Speedway Park Notebook

RACE NOTES: Donny Schatz wins a World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series race at DIRTcar Nationals for the fourth consecutive year. After fending off Chad Kemenah - who led the 26-car feature into the green flag - Schatz nearly opened-up a two second lead. Jason Johnson, who won the previous show, caught up to Kemenah and took second place in the closing laps.

CONTINGENCY WINNERS: MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Jacob Allen; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Brent Marks; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Jason Sides; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Danny Dietrich; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Morton Buildings ($50 cash): Terry McCarl; Super Flow ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Craftsman Club Fast Five ($100 cash): Joey Saldana, Paul McMahan, David Gravel; Craftsman/Sears: Chad Kemenah; KSE Hard Charger: Kerry Madsen; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Donny Schatz; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Brad Sweet; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Caleb Helms

SEASON WINNERS: Jason Johnson - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17); Donny Schatz - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on February 19)

World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Volusia Speedway Park, Fla.; Feb. 18, 2017

A-Main - (25 Laps) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1] [$10,000]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [3] [$5,500]; 3. 10H-Chad Kemenah [2] [$3,200]; 4. 17-Joey Saldana [4] [$2,800]; 5. 5-David Gravel [8] [$2,500]; 6. 14-Christopher Bell [6] [$2,300]; 7. 4-Paul McMahan [5] [$2,200]; 8. 19-Brent Marks [9] [$2,100]; 9. 7S-Jason Sides [12] [$2,050]; 10. 13D-Danny Dietrich [7] [$2,000]; 11. 2M-Kerry Madsen [19] [$1,500]; 12. 1S-Logan Schuchart [14] [$1,200]; 13. 18-Ian Madsen [10] [$1,100]; 14. 24-Terry McCarl [13] [$1,050]; 15. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [18] [$1,000]; 16. 1-Dale Blaney [20] [$900]; 17. 49-Brad Sweet [17] [$800]; 18. 27-Greg Hodnett [16] [$800]; 19. 2-Shane Stewart [24] [$800]; 20. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [23] [$800]; 21. 24R-Rico Abreu [22] [$800]; 22. 17X-Caleb Helms [15] [$800]; 23. 9-Daryn Pittman [11] [$800]; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen [25] [$800]; 25. 87-Aaron Reutzel [21] [$800]; 26. 13-Clyde Knipp [26] [$800]; Lap Leaders: Chad Kemenah 1-13, Donny Schatz 14-25; KSE Hard Charger Award: 2M-Kerry Madsen[+8]

Qualifying - 1. 5-David Gravel, 13.453; 2. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.456; 3. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.543; 4. 10H-Chad Kemenah, 13.567; 5. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.574; 6. 14-Christopher Bell, 13.578; 7. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.605; 8. 4-Paul McMahan, 13.608; 9. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.614; 10. 13D-Danny Dietrich, 13.619; 11. 17X-Caleb Helms, 13.627; 12. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.628; 13. 19-Brent Marks, 13.631; 14. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.647; 15. 17-Joey Saldana, 13.682; 16. 27-Greg Hodnett, 13.701; 17. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.720; 18. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 13.736; 19. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 13.797; 20. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 13.812; 21. 24-Terry McCarl, 13.823; 22. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.873; 23. 24R-Rico Abreu, 13.876; 24. 1-Dale Blaney, 13.908; 25. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.920; 26. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.929; 27. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.937; 28. 2-Shane Stewart, 14.000; 29. 49X-Tim Shaffer, 14.019; 30. 59H-Justin Henderson, 14.083; 31. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 14.254; 32. 59S-Ben Schmidt, 14.315; 33. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 14.602; 34. O7-Jacob Wilson, 14.707; 35. 13-Clyde Knipp, 14.917; 36. 21-Brian Brown, nt

Heat 1 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 5-David Gravel[1] ; 2. 41-Jason Johnson[2] ; 3. 19-Brent Marks[4] ; 4. 24-Terry McCarl[6] ; 5. 49-Brad Sweet[5] ; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[3] ; 7. 49X-Tim Shaffer[8] ; 8. W20-Greg Wilson[7] ; 9. 2X-Parker Price-Miller[9]

Heat 2 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 14-Christopher Bell[2] ; 2. 13D-Danny Dietrich[3] ; 3. 18-Ian Madsen[4] ; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6] ; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[1] ; 6. 59H-Justin Henderson[8] ; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser[7] ; 8. 87-Aaron Reutzel[5] ; 9. O7-Jacob Wilson[9]

Heat 3 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 15-Donny Schatz[1] ; 2. 17-Joey Saldana[4] ; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman[2] ; 4. 17X-Caleb Helms[3] ; 5. 2M-Kerry Madsen[5] ; 6. 24R-Rico Abreu[6] ; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen[7] ; 8. 7W-Tasker Phillips[8] ; 9. 13-Clyde Knipp[9]

Heat 4 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 10H-Chad Kemenah[1] ; 2. 4-Paul McMahan[2] ; 3. 7S-Jason Sides[3] ; 4. 27-Greg Hodnett[4] ; 5. 1-Dale Blaney[6] ; 6. 2-Shane Stewart[7] ; 7. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier[5] ; 8. 59S-Ben Schmidt[8]

Dash - (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature)
1. 15-Donny Schatz[2] ; 2. 10H-Chad Kemenah[1] ; 3. 41-Jason Johnson[5] ; 4. 17-Joey Saldana[7] ; 5. 4-Paul McMahan[8] ; 6. 14-Christopher Bell[3] ; 7. 13D-Danny Dietrich[6] ; 8. 5-David Gravel[4]

B-Main - (12 Laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel[2] [-]; 2. 24R-Rico Abreu[4] [-]; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[1] [-]; 4. 2-Shane Stewart[8] [-]; 5. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier[3] [$300]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson[5] [$250]; 7. 59H-Justin Henderson[10] [$225]; 8. 11K-Kraig Kinser[6] [$200]; 9. 49X-Tim Shaffer[9] [$200]; 10. 59S-Ben Schmidt[12] [$200]; 11. 7W-Tasker Phillips[11] [$200]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen[7] [$200]; 13. O7-Jacob Wilson[14] [$200]; 14. 13-Clyde Knipp[15] [$200]; 15. 2X-Parker Price-Miller[13] [$200]; 16. 21-Brian Brown[16] [$200]

World of Outlaws

Contact: Colby Gorniewicz
World of Outlaws PR
704-707-0229 | cgorniewicz@dirtcar.com

www.woosprint.com/news/race-reports/458-2017-race-reports/4241-johnson-takes-flight-in-outlaws-opener

Johnson Takes Flight in Outlaws Opener,Wins first career Gator at DIRTcar Nationals

BARBERSVILLE, Fla. - February 17, 2017 - Jason Johnson made a grand entrance into 2017 Friday night, winning the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series opener at the 46th Annual DIRTcar Nationals. Johnson, whose 2016 season was highlighted by a Knoxville Nationals victory, took home his first Gator and a $10,000 purse.

"Yeah, 365 days later we start the season off in the best case scenario," said Johnson, rehashing on his team's troubles last season. "It's a long season, and you need to condition for it. My little [Jaxx] on FaceTime over there... he and my wife mean the world to me, and I wish he could be here for the win. [The win] is huge for our operation, for our team, for the people working on this team and for my self-confidence."

For Johnson's four World of Outlaws wins last season, Johnson brought his son up on stage to wave their index finger in the air symbolizing "No.1." This time Johnson scaled the wing of his No. 41 Priority Aviation Services, LLC/ Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim car solo, but dropped back down to high-fives and hugs from his crew. Johnson, who was involved in a horrific wreck earlier in the week, opted to withdraw from the All-Star Circuit of Champions finale Thursday night. But one day later, consistently bested a 35 other cars on sprint car racing's biggest stage.

Johnson started on the outside of the first row for the 30-lap feature event. Where he started, is where he stayed. Johnson - continuing to stay on-top of the wheel and high on the track - darted to the front within the first lap. Sweet followed Johnson to the front but from the bottom. The first of three cautions came on the third lap, when David Gravel suffered from more mechanical failures. Notably, Gravel raced nearly 80 races without blowing a motor heading into this year's DIRTcar Nationals. The caution regrouped the field, giving Sweet the opportunity to recreate last season's season opener with a win.

"I'll tell you what, I really thought we were going to have something there for Jason," Sweet said. "I had to [eventually] move to the top but Johnson set a really torrid pace out there. He did it, so hats-off to him. We have two more nights so hopefully we can end up where he is."

Sweet swapped spots with Brian Brown throughout the race, but in the final two laps swiftly moved passed him on the front straightaway. Brown forfeited third to a red-hot Christopher Bell, who rounded-out the podium. Bell not only beat Johnson in the dash, but also set the night's quick time with a 13.121.

"I kind of struggled on starts and restarts there," said Bell, who led the feature field into the green flag. "Mistakes on my part for starts and restarts, but this thing is really fast. It's a great machine to drive. Thank you Tony [Stewart] for letting me come out and have some fun."

From the victory, Johnson leads the points championship for the first time in his career. As Sweet alluded to, Johnson's aggressive driving style opened up the "World's Fastest Half-Mile" for him. Earlier in the program, Johnson qualified third but claimed his stake for a Gator in the third heat. His car weaved in-and-around series newcomer Brent Marks. Though he was in a transfer spot, Johnson did not let off the gas.

He went on to start fourth in the Craftsman Club Dash and finish second after yet another battle - with Brown. Brown's uncle and crew member, 2001 Series Champion Danny Lasoski, is the most winningest sprint car driver at Volusia Speedway Park. He is scheduled to compete predominantly with the Outlaws, though it will not be full-time.

Series veteran Jason Sides set the pace early in the program, recording the quickest time in hot laps of 13.602. Sides went on to set quick-time in qualifying - putting him in position to "Double Down" as his nickname suggests - but the time only stood until Bell knocked him off with 15 drivers remaining. Ultimately, four out of the five top-qualifiers were series regulars. Three regulars finished the night in the Top-five.

Volusia Speedway Park Notebook
RACE NOTES: Jason Johnson collects his first win of the season Friday night, beating fellow series regular Brad Sweet by a 3.553-second margin. Sweet and Brian Brown battled nearly the entire 30 laps, until quick-timer Cristopher Bell made a last-minute moved to knock Brown off the podium.

CONTINGENCY WINNERS: MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Jacob Allen; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Kerry Madsen; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Morton Buildings ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Super Flow ($50 cash): Kraig Kinser; Craftsman Club Fast Five ($100 cash): Jason Johnson, Jason Sides, Brad Sweet, Daryn Pittman, Brent Marks; Craftsman/Sears: Christopher Bell; KSE Hard Charger: Chad Kemenah; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Jason Johnson; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Brent Marks; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Jason Sides

SEASON WINNERS: Jason Johnson - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17)
World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Volusia Speedway Park, Fla.; Feb. 18, 2017

A-Main - (30 Laps) - 1. 41-Jason Johnson [2] [$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [5] [$5,500]; 3. 14-Christopher Bell [1] [$3,200]; 4. 21-Brian Brown [3] [$2,800]; 5. 9-Daryn Pittman [7] [$2,500]; 6. 49X-Tim Shaffer [9] [$2,300]; 7. 10H-Chad Kemenah [20] [$2,200]; 8. 24R-Rico Abreu [13] [$2,100]; 9. 2M-Kerry Madsen [14] [$2,050]; 10. 18-Ian Madsen [6] [$2,000]; 11. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [11] [$1,500]; 12. 17-Joey Saldana [15] [$1,200]; 13. 1-Dale Blaney [24] [$1,100]; 14. 15-Donny Schatz [16] [$1,050]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [17] [$1,000]; 16. 19-Brent Marks [8] [$900]; 17. 13D-Danny Dietrich [23] [$800]; 18. 4-Paul McMahan [10] [$800]; 19. 87-Aaron Reutzel [19] [$800]; 20. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [18] [$800]; 21. 7S-Jason Sides [4] [$800]; 22. 27-Greg Hodnett [12] [$800]; 23. 2-Shane Stewart [21] [$800]; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen [25]; 25. 5-David Gravel [22] [$800]; Lap Leaders: Jason Johnson 1-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: 10H-Chad Kemenah [+13]

Qualifying - 1. 14-Christopher Bell, 13.121; 2. 5-David Gravel, 13.126; 3. 41-Jason Johnson, 13.161; 4. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.223; 5. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.247; 6. 18-Ian Madsen, 13.262; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.296; 8. 9-Daryn Pittman, 13.298; 9. 24R-Rico Abreu, 13.306; 10. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 13.312; 11. 19-Brent Marks, 13.314; 12. 10H-Chad Kemenah, 13.318; 13. 49X-Tim Shaffer, 13.340; 14. 21-Brian Brown, 13.345; 15. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 13.352; 16. 27-Greg Hodnett, 13.395; 17. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.413; 18. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 13.431; 19. 13D-Danny Dietrich, 13.446; 20. 2-Shane Stewart, 13.448; 21. 1-Dale Blaney, 13.460; 22. 4-Paul McMahan, 13.464; 23. 17-Joey Saldana, 13.501; 24. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.510; 25. 24-Terry McCarl, 13.521; 26. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.537; 27. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 13.555; 28. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.573; 29. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.590; 30. 17X-Caleb Helms, 13.610; 31. 59H-Justin Henderson, 13.691; 32. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 13.774; 33. 13-Clyde Knipp, 13.891; 34. 59S-Ben Schmidt, 13.915; 35. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 13.916; 36. O7-Jacob Wilson, 14.016

Heat 1 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2] ; 2. 14-Christopher Bell [1] ; 3. 49X-Tim Shaffer [4] ; 4. 24R-Rico Abreu [3] ; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5] ; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [8] ; 7. 1-Dale Blaney [6] ; 8. 24-Terry McCarl [7] ; 9. 13-Clyde Knipp [9]

Heat 2 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 18-Ian Madsen [2] ; 2. 21-Brian Brown [4] ; 3. 4-Paul McMahan [6] ; 4. 2M-Kerry Madsen [5] ; 5. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [3] ; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [7] ; 7. 17X-Caleb Helms [8] ; 8. 59S-Ben Schmidt [9] ; 9. 5-David Gravel [1]

Heat 3 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 41-Jason Johnson [1] ; 2. 19-Brent Marks [3] ; 3. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [4] ; 4. 17-Joey Saldana [6] ; 5. 87-Aaron Reutzel [7] ; 6. 59H-Justin Henderson [8] ; 7. 13D-Danny Dietrich [5] ; 8. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [9] ; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2]

Heat 4 - (8 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 7S-Jason Sides [1] ; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [2] ; 3. 27-Greg Hodnett [4] ; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [6] ; 5. 10H-Chad Kemenah [3] ; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [5] ; 7. 7W-Tasker Phillips [8] ; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [7] ; 9. O7-Jacob Wilson [9]

Craftsman Club Dash - (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) - 1. 14-Christopher Bell [2] ; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [4] ; 3. 21-Brian Brown [1] ; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [3] ; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6] ; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [5] ; 7. 9-Daryn Pittman [8] ; 8. 19-Brent Marks [7]

B-Main - (12 Laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 2-Shane Stewart [4] [-]; 2. 5-David Gravel [1] [-]; 3. 13D-Danny Dietrich [3] [-]; 4. 1-Dale Blaney [5] [-]; 5. 59H-Justin Henderson [11] [$300]; 6. 17X-Caleb Helms [10] [$250]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [9] [$225]; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [7] [$200]; 9. 59S-Ben Schmidt [14] [$200]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [8] [$200]; 11. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [15] [$200]; 12. 7W-Tasker Phillips [12] [$200]; 13. 24-Terry McCarl [6] [$200]; 14. 13-Clyde Knipp [13] [$200]; 15. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2] [$200]; 16. O7-Jacob Wilson [16] [$200]