INDIANAPOLIS (July 15, 2015) – It’s been a historic start to the 2015 World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series campaign for Tony Stewart-Curb Agajanian Racing’s (TSR) Donny Schatz and his Bad Boy Buggies/Chevrolet Performance team. And this weekend, the six-time and reigning WoO champion looks to continue his incredible season in the 32nd annual Kings Royal at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
With 20 wins in the first 44 WoO races including a pair at Eldora earlier this year, Schatz opens Sprint car racing’s ‘Month of Money’ with high expectations. The driver of the TSR No. 15 Bad Boy Buggies/Chevrolet Performance J&J has finished second and third in the two most recent 40-lap Kings Royal main events and is seeking his first victory in the historic $50,000-to-win race since 2009.
Momentum is a huge part of any sport and Sprint car racing is no different. In the last 23 races, Schatz has won 14 times and finished second six during a run started that with his sweep of the Outlaws May stop at the famed half-mile, dirt oval. His victory on May 8 was his first victory at Eldora since his 2009 Kings Royal triumph, and the Fargo, North Dakota driver increased his career WoO wins at Eldora to seven after leading all 30 laps on May 9.
In the previous 31 Kings Royal races, 17 different drivers have captured the $50,000 first prize and been crowned King on the famous stage. The post-race ritual is one of the most unique in motorsports and only six drivers have been part of that ceremony on multiple occasions. Twenty-time WoO champion and fellow TSR and Bad Boy Buggies driver Steve Kinser won the first Kings Royal in 1984 and has won it a total of seven times. Sammy Swindell and Jac Haudenschild are three-time winners, while Doug Wolfgang, Joey Saldana and Schatz have won the prestigious race twice.
The 1996 Kings Royal was the race where Schatz splashed onto the national scene as an 18-year-old WISSOTA champion. In his first appearance in the Kings Royal, Schatz made the 24-car field and finished eighth in the race that was televised live nationally. He’s made every Kings Royal A-Main field since then and has earned nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. The Fargo, North Dakota driver is looking to qualify for his 20th consecutive ‘Royal Rumble’ and become the fourth driver with at least three wins in the race.
Wins this season have come at rapid pace for Schatz. His 20 wins are already the third most in any of his previous 19 seasons on tour with the Outlaws. And this weekend, he has the opportunity to add to that total with Eldora’s Knight Before the Kings Royal race and Kings Royal main events.
The quest for a seventh WoO championship continues with Friday’s event being a full points show. Saturday’s Kings Royal will award each team participating 75 points toward the championship. Schatz carries a 290-point advantage over Shane Stewart into the ‘Month of Money’ and leads the series in wins (20), top-fives (34), top-10s (41), laps led (383), and KSE Hard Charger Awards (six).