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]

Hat Trick: Hoffman Wrangles Third Gator

BARBERVILLE, FL - February 19, 2017 - For the third time this week, Nick Hoffman dominated all 20 laps of the A-Main to earn a Gator trophy during the 46th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park on Sunday afternoon. The race was the completion of Saturday's rain-postponed event.

Hoffman of Mooresville, NC picked the pole starting position for Sunday's matinee via the redraw after winning his heat. From there, he jumped out to a convincing lead, but a trio of cautions, including one with three laps to go, allowed Taylor Cook of Stanley, NC to challenge for the win.

As the yellow flags helped to push the door open for Cook, Hoffman slammed it shut with a smooth run around the bottom of the track over the final three laps to earn the victory.

"Nothing's going wrong now that we're rolling," Hoffman said in Victory Lane. "[The car] was really good. I just ran the bottom and made sure to hit all my marks. Taylor, hats off to him. He ran a great race. We'll just keep it rolling and make sure nothing falls off tomorrow. We'll try and get that big check [on Monday]."

The runner-up result was the second top-five finish of the week for Cook, whose previous best DIRTcar Nationals finish was a fourth on Thursday night.

"Last night [after qualifying], we were worried we weren't even going to make this show let alone Monday night's show," Cook said. "To have a run like that is awesome. We had a really good night on Thursday. Wednesday and Friday we struggled a bit. I went backwards on some of the changes I made the other two nights. It seems pretty good now."

Larry Burkins of St. Augustine, Fla. rounded out the podium finishers with a third-place finish, his best of the week at Volusia.

Hoffman set fast time in time trials on Saturday night with a lap of 18.359 seconds, his fourth quick time award of the week. Other heat race winners were Campbell River, BC driver Jason Beaulieu, Jason Brookover of Washington, WV, and Robbie Eilers of Highland, Ill.

Hoffman, Cook and Burkins are locked into Monday's $5,000-to-win UMP Modified Gator Championships along with the remainder of the top-10 finishers, including Robbie Eilers, Tyler Nicely, Johnny Broking, David Stremme, Ray Bollinger, Jeff Mathews and Zeke McKenzie.

46th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park

DIRTcar UMP Modified Notebook - February 18-19, 2017

A-Main - (20 Laps) - 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [1]; 2. 21C-Taylor Cook [8]; 3. 54-Larry Burkins [3]; 4. 3E-Robbie Eilers [4]; 5. 25-Tyler Nicely [9]; 6. 45J-Johnny Broking [7]; 7. 35-David Stremme [5]; 8. 9. 33-Jeff Mathews [14]; 9. 77-Ray Bollinger [2]; 10. 24Z-Zeke McKenzie [6]; 11. 90-Jason Beaulieu [10]; 12. 88-Matt Crafton [12]; 13. 2x4-Chase Collins [16]; 14. 8-Kyle Strickler [34]; 15. 22T-Tony Anderson [20]; 16. 28B-Jason Brookover [15]; 17. 98-Shon Flanery [13]; 18. 40B-Kyle Bronson [21]; 19. D4-Dave Jamieson [28]; 20. 9S-Slater McCray [17]; 21. 14T-Tyler Clem [11]; 22. 6-Dylan Browning [33]; 23. 5-Johnathan Taylor [29]; 24. 18I-Jason Intoppa [19]; 25. 2J-Troy Johnson [25]; 26. Z06-Larry Mott [27]; 27. 17A-Charles O'Neal [31]; 28. 2M-David Mitchell [23]; 29. 11T-Dugan Thye [18]; 30. 96J-Matt Johnson [22]; 31. 78-Rich Pratt [24]; 32. 23-Ryan Cripe [DNS]; 33. 58-Devin Dixon [DNS].

Qualifying Group 1 - 1. 2-Nick Hoffman, 18.359; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely, 18.580; 3. 35-David Stremme, 18.744; 4. 98-Shon Flanery, 18.794; 5. 5-Jonathan Taylor, 19.023; 6. 2J-Troy Johnson, 19.368; 7. 9S-Slater McCray, 19.410; 8. 6-Dylan Browning, 19.716.

Qualifying Group 2 - 1. 90-Jason Beaulieu, 18.360; 2. 54-Larry Burkins, 18.864; 3. 33-Jeff Mathews, 18.867; 4. 24Z-Zeke McKenzie, 19.201; 5. 23-Ryan Cripe, 19.697; 6. 11T-Dugan Thye, 20.589; 7. 96J-Matt Johnson, 21.984; 8. 58-Devin Dixon, No Time.

Qualifying Group 3 - 1. 28B-Jason Brookover, 18.663; 2. 45J-Johnny Broking, 18.818; 3. 77-Ray Bollinger, 18.840; 4. 14T-Tyler Clem, 18.891; 5. Z06-Larry Mott, 19.241; 6. 18I-Jason Intoppa, 19.289; 7. 2M-David Mitchell, 19.784; 8. 17A-Charles O'Neal, 21.579.

Qualifying Group 4 - 1. 3E-Robbie Eilers, 18.664; 2. 2x4-Chase Collins, 18.728; 3. 88-Matt Crafton, 18.779; 4. 22T-Tony Anderson, 18.942; 5. 21C-Taylor Cook, 18.967; 6. 78-Rich Pratt, 19.207; 7. D4-Dave Jamieson, 19.241; 8. 8-Kyle Strickler, 19.265.

Heat 1 (8 Laps - Top 3 finishers transfer to A-Feature, Winner Redraws) - 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [4]; 2. 35-David Stremme [2]; 3. 25-Tyler Nicely [3]; 4. 98-Shon Flanery [1]; 5. 9S-Slater McCray [7]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson [9]; 7. 2J-Troy Johnson [6]; 8. 5-Johnathan Taylor [5]; 9. 6-Dylan Browning [8].

Heat 2 (8 Laps - Top 3 finishers transfer to A-Feature, Winner Redraws)- 1. 54-Larry Burkins [3]; 2. 24Z-Zeke McKenzie [1]; 3. 90-Jason Beaulieu [4]; 4. 33-Jeff Mathews [2]; 5. 11T-Dugan Thye [6]; 6. 96J-Matt Johnson [7]; 7. 23-Ryan Cripe [DNS]; 8. 58-Devin Dixon [DNS].

Heat 3 (8 Laps - Top 3 finishers transfer to A-Feature, Winner Redraws) - 1. 77-Ray Bollinger [2]; 2. 45J-Johnny Broking [3]; 3. 14T-Tyler Clem [1]; 4. 28B-Jason Brookover [4]; 5. 18I-Jason Intoppa [6]; 6. 2M-David Mitchell [7]; 7. Z06-Larry Mott [5]; 8. 17A-Charles O'Neal [8].

Heat 4 (8 Laps - Top 3 finishers transfer to A-Feature, Winner Redraws) - 1. 3E-Robbie Eilers [4]; 2. 21C-Taylor Cook [5]; 3. 88-Matt Crafton [2]; 4. 2x4-Chase Collins [3]; 5. 22T-Tony Anderson [1]; 6. 78-Rich Pratt [6]; 7. D4-Dave Jamieson [7]; 8. 8-Kyle Strickler [8].