{"id":5174,"date":"2018-07-01T11:10:01","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T15:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=5174"},"modified":"2018-07-01T11:11:06","modified_gmt":"2018-07-01T15:11:06","slug":"big-guns-show-up-schatz-and-gravel-win-in-knoxville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2018\/07\/01\/big-guns-show-up-schatz-and-gravel-win-in-knoxville\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Guns show up, Schatz and Gravel win in Knoxville"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the Craftsman World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car series invaded Knoxville Raceway for the Brownells Big Guns Bash on Friday and Saturday night, there was no shortage of big guns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Donny Schatz <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>David Gravel <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">battled it out over the weekend and each took home an important victory in a tight WoO point battle. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Schatz takes Knoxville on somber night<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve read this before. \u201cDonny Schatz wins at Knoxville.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But this one was different.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schatz\u2019 win comes six days following the death of respected racer and 2016 Knoxville Nationals champion <\/span><b>Jason Johnson, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and it will be one to remember for some time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cSome days, it just isn\u2019t fair I guess,\u201d<\/em> Schatz said in victory lane.<em> \u201cTonight was probably one of the first nights I ever asked myself, \u2018When you put the suit on, why?\u2019 Once I fired the car, everything made sense. This is what I love to do. This is what everybody out here loved to do. Thank you to the racers, the fans, the racetracks, everybody.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prior to the race, the World of Outlaws paid tribute to Johnson in numerous ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During opening ceremonies, a tribute video honoring Johnson was played over the big screens at the track. It shows Johnson\u2019s first win as an Outlaws driver, his 2016 Knoxville Nationals celebration, and numerous other, joyful moments of his career.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">To our friend, husband, father, and racer&#8230;.we simply say &quot;Thank You, Jason&quot;.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Forever41?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Forever41<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fXrUeYPsDp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fXrUeYPsDp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorldofOutlaws\/status\/1011262723445968898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 25, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the cars lined up in the four-wide salute, Schatz would drop back a row to form what is called the missing-man formation. The cars are lined-up four-by-four through the field in the order in which they would have started the race, but the front row only contains three cars, with the 1st spot left open in memory of Johnson.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>&#8220;<\/em>Its<em> been a very shocking week, but I\u2019m glad to be standing here right now,\u201d<\/em> Schatz said. <em>\u201cWords can\u2019t describe it. It puts into perspective that tomorrow is never guaranteed for any of us. <\/em>Irregardless<em> of who you are or where you\u2019re from, it doesn\u2019t really matter. When I got in the car and hit the switch, that\u2019s the only thing that cures [me]. That\u2019s the only place I really feel safe.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the 25-lap main event started up, it was evident that Schatz\u2019 #15 car was the class of the field, and perhaps the only driver that could challenge or even keep up with the veteran was <\/span><b>Lynton Jeffrey. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three laps into the race, the cars slowed for a caution flag as <\/span><b>Brian Brown <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">had a tire malfunction and had to pull off the track. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When they restarted with 22 laps to go, Schatz made a move that would win him the race.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the pack of cars came around turns three and four to re-take the green flag, Jeffrey got a big run on the outside and was ready to run the outside of the turn and try to pass Schatz right off of the bat. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schatz didn\u2019t see him. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 15 car went high and got into Jeffrey\u2019s No. 12, causing Jeffrey to crash and flip his car multiple times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cI <\/em>didnt<em> see Lynton,\u201d<\/em> Schatz said. <em>\u201cObviously he got a good run on the start and we both wanted the cushion going into [turn] one. His left front got into my right rear, and he ended up in the fence. That\u2019s just the way it goes some days.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jeffrey stepped out of his car and immediately did an interview on the track over the video board. It would be understandable for a driver to be mad at Schatz, but Jeffrey was all smiles, saying that he did his best.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schatz went on to win the main event, taking night one of the two-day, two-feature WoO weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cAt the end of the day, Donny <\/em>SChatz<em> was super fast tonight,\u201d<\/em> Jeffrey said after the race. <em>\u201cWe got a run there at the start. I just <\/em>didnt<em> think he was expecting me to be there. He already came by to see me and he told me he didn\u2019t see me. I believe that. We just ran out of racetrack.\u201d<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Brooke Tatnell <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was right behind the two on the restart, and had a front-row view of the incident.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cAny time you go past the flag stand you think you\u2019re clear of a guy,\u201d<\/em> Tatnell said. <em>\u201cThat\u2019s just a racing deal. [Schatz] is the cleanest guy you\u2019re ever going to race against.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The incident brings back the old debate surrounding whether double-file restarts are necessary in sprint car racing. The WoO is one of the only series to do it, and drivers have mixed feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cI don\u2019t really care for them,\u201d<\/em> Schatz said. <em>\u201cThey say the fans want it. It\u2019s what caused the crash last week and we lost a guy. We\u2019ve got a junked racecar tonight.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other side of things, some drivers want the fans to see a lot of action and passing during the restarts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201c[Double-file restarts] shake the field up,\u201d<\/em> Tatnell said. <em>\u201cWe start the race with a double file start, so I don\u2019t [see an issue with it]. If you don\u2019t have it they just get stretched out. This way it jumbles people up and you have a chance of either going forward or <\/em> backward <em> on a restart.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With his win, Schatz continues to climb up higher into the top 10 on the Knoxville Raceway all-time wins list. Despite only coming to the track for a handful of races a year, Schatz outnumbers a large group of Knoxville regulars. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He simply dominates. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though, humbly, Schatz disagreed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cWe\u2019re not dominant,\u201d<\/em> Schatz said. <em>\u201cWe have a very solid race team. We\u2019ve got a very good baseline here. We\u2019ve got a very good baseline everywhere. When you\u2019ve been <\/em>racing<em> 25 years, you should have a good baseline. This is the mecca of sprint car racing and to be able to win here means everything. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cThis week it\u2019s extra special,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Gravel overcomes Schatz to take Night 2 at Knoxville<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Saturday, fans saw a bit more passing up front. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the first green flag run Schatz distanced himself from the pack by two seconds before the caution flags came out three laps into the race for a slowed <\/span><b>Justin Henderson.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the next run, however, Schatz found a challenger in <\/span><b>Brad Sweet.\u00a0 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sweet went around Schatz after battling him for a few laps, clearing the 15 and putting the No. 49 out front.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Schatz came back to pass Sweet, he did it in the midst of a caution and didn\u2019t complete the lap until after the lights came on, giving the lead back to Sweet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enter David Gravel. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gravel restarted behind the Sweet and Schatz, putting the top three drivers in the WoO points standings in the top three positions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gravel got a great jump on the start to push past both Schatz and Sweet taking the lead with 16 laps to go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cWhoever had the lead <\/em>there between<em> [Schatz], me, or [Sweet], I think that\u2019s who was probably going to win the race,\u201d<\/em> Gravel said. <em>\u201cLuckily I was able to get by those guys on the restart.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gravel was just starting to fight his way through lapped traffic when Tatnell brought out the caution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Connecticut native needed just one more restart to get the victory, but he\u2019d have to hold off Schatz.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cI knew what he was going to do,\u201d<\/em> Gravel said.<em> \u201cI was thinking that I was going to get a good enough start where he couldn\u2019t roll around me. I knew he was going to pick up the crumbles in [turns] one and two about halfway up the track, and I wasn\u2019t going to open up the door.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gravel got around the turn and found a run on the backstretch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI knew I\u2019d hit my lines and he\u2019d be side-by-side with me, but if I hit my exit I should have been good down the backstretch,\u201d Gravel said. \u201cI just had enough.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gravel went on to take the win, holding off Schatz. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the race, Gravel would praise Schatz clean driving.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cIf it was anybody else, he might have chopped me and took my air away, but he gave me room,\u201d<\/em> Gravel said. <em>\u201cHe\u2019s a first class racer and I\u2019m happy to race with him most of these nights.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked about the restart that got him the win, Gravel made it known where he was setting his sights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cForget about that,\u201d<\/em> he said. <em>\u201cWho\u2019s ready for nationals?&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gravel won the second night of the 2017 Knoxville Nationals and was leading in the main event before a failed engine forced his night to be complete early.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>\u201cWe have unfinished business here,\u201d<\/em> Gravel said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>World of Outlaws Standings<br \/>\n<\/strong>As of June 30 at Knoxville Raceway<br \/>\n1. Donny Schatz 4576<br \/>\n2. Brad Sweet -102<br \/>\n3. David Gravel -232<br \/>\n4. Daryn Pittman -324<br \/>\n5. Shane Stewart -326<br \/>\n6. Sheldon Haudenschild -450<br \/>\n7. Logan Schuchart -482<br \/>\n8. Ian Madsen -608<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Craftsman World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car series invaded Knoxville Raceway for the Brownells Big Guns Bash on Friday and Saturday night, there was no shortage of big guns. Donny Schatz and David Gravel battled it out over the weekend and each took home an important victory in a tight WoO point battle. 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