Schatz wins three in a row at 48th Annual Knoxville Nationals
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Schatz wins three in a row at 48th Annual Knoxville Nationals
By Stacy Ervin
Donny Schatz made history by being only the second driver to win three in a row at the 48th Annual Super Clean Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Saturday, August 9, 2008, at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa.
The happy winner from Fargo, North Dakota, collected the $150,000 payday and inked his name in the history books as only Steve Kinser had previously won three in a row here.
The start of the 30-lap main event was about 10 minutes earlier than scheduled and did not feature the four-wide parade lap because it was noted rain was just north of Knoxville. The original start was then put under yellow and flagman Doug Clark sent Tyler Walker to the back of the field for jumping. Walker was the 20th starter before he was put behind the B-Main transfers.
After that, it looked as though polesitter Danny Lasoski would take the early lead, but outside front-row starter Jason Meyers shot around him to take the point. Schatz, who started fourth, went to second around Lasoski at lap four and Kinser, who started third, quickly followed to reclaim third place.
Meyers had built a half-straightaway lead by the time he came to lapped traffic at lap seven. At that point, Gary Wright became the first to fall from the main event when he pulled off the track.
By lap nine, Schatz had pulled up beside Meyers in traffic, but a couple of laps later, he got held up and Meyers pulled away again. Meanwhile, Craig Dollansky, who started fifth, had moved into third. Jason Solwold was the second to fall from the race when he pulled in at lap 20.
It looked as though Meyers would run away to his first win, but the race’s first caution came out at lap 23 when Walker stopped on the frontstretch with a motor which erupted in flame and a car which had no brakes.
Schatz pulled up on the low side of Meyers on the restart and took the lead just under the flagstand at lap 25. He then pulled up to block Meyers in turn two, but Meyers raced him side-by-side for a couple laps.
Another caution flag slowed the field at lap 27 when Shane Stewart stopped in turn four with no power steering. Schatz was able to hold his lead after the restart and go on for the win. Meyers was second, Dollansky third, Lasoski fourth and Kinser fifth.
In victory lane, Schatz noted he was trying to save his tires as much as possible.
“I didn’t expect it to go that long without a yellow,” he said. “I may have played it too cautious in the middle of the race. I didn’t expect the race track to get that wide early on.”
Schatz, who turned 31 years old the day after his third win, added as a kid sitting in the grandstands at the Sprint Car Capital of the World he never expected to win the event. He noted at the Knoxville Nationals, every win is important so the third meant just as much to him as the other two.
Daryn Pittman of Owasso, Oklahoma, started on the pole and led all 22 laps of the B-Main. He transferred to the A-Main along with Chad Kemenah, Terry McCarl and Gary Wright. The race went yellow at the start when Roger Crockett got too high in turn one and flipped along the fence. The race stayed green after the complete restart and Pittman set a new 22-lap track record at the speedway.
Jesse Hockett of Warsaw, Missouri, won the 15-lap C-Main and transferred to the B-Main along with Lynton Jeffrey. The first attempt at a start saw Cody Darrah stop in turn three. When the race went green, Hockett used his outside front-row starting spot to get a jump on polesitter Lee Jacobs and lead the first lap. But by the second lap, Jacobs had the lead and he held it through lap 11. At that point, his motor blew up and caught fire down the frontstretch and the yellow came out. Hockett led the rest of the way.
Rob Chaney of Millersburg, Ohio, led the entire 12-lap distance to win the D-Main after starting on the pole. Other transfers to the C-Main were Josh Schneiderman and Cody Darrah. Bob Weuve made an attempt to start but his mount did not fire. A yellow flag came out at the first attempt at a start when Bill Rose’s car failed to take off and he stopped in turn four. At the second attempt at a start, John VanDenBerg got too high in turn four and went for a high and wild series of flips. Dion Hindi, who started outside the front row, ran second to Chaney most of the distance but his motor blew coming down the backstretch to take the checkered.
JJ Hickle of Quilcene, Washington, started outside the front row of the E-Main and led the 10-lap race from green to checkered. Other transfers to the D-Main were Bill Rose, John Lambertz and Greg Nikitenko.
The Best Dressed Crew went to Billy Alley’s team. Second place was Chad Kemenah and third place was Wayne Johnson.
The Mr. Sprint Car title went to Wayne Johnson, who amassed enough points in 10 nights of racing during Iowa Sprint Week to top the standings for the second year in a row.
Doug Esh was named Rookie of the Nationals.
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