Schatz no longer a bridesmaid with win at 46th annual Knoxville Nationals
By Stacy Ervin

KNOXVILLE, IA. (Aug. 12, 2006) - Four times in recent history, Fargo, North Dakota, sprint-car driver Donny Schatz has had to stand on the second rung of the victory podium and listen to someone else talk about how it feels to win the biggest race of the year, the Knoxville Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway.

This year, Schatz finally was able to shake that "bridesmaid" history by winning the 46th annual Knoxville Nationals, presented by Super Clean and Midwest Ford Dealers. The win came at the Central Iowa mecca of mud, the Sprint Car Capitol of the World, just before midnight on Saturday, August 12. Schatz earned $140,000 for the win.

The 30-lap race saw the yellow flag come out on the original start when Kaley Gharst and Jason Solwold got together. The contact left Solwold with a broken drive line and a broken rear end on his machine. He could not restart, but Gharst, who had to change a nose wing, did restart.

On the next attempt at a start, Tim Kaeding spun in turn four to bring out another yellow flag.

When the race finally went green, outside front-row starter Joey Saldana took off with the lead over Schatz and held it until Schatz got around him on lap four. The next time by, Saldana got back around Schatz and held the lead through lapped traffic until lap 12.

Schatz kept trying to make a move in heavy lapped traffic, but the traffic held him up lap after lap. Finally on the 13th circuit, Schatz got the lead on the backstretch and he would never relinquish it.

The yellow flag came out on the 19th lap when Terry McCarl spun in turn four after working his way up to ninth from his 23rd starting spot. McCarl had come from the B-Main, as had Steve Kinser, who was up to sixth at that time and Danny Lasoski, who inherited the ninth spot when McCarl spun out.

The yellow put lapped cars to the tail, letting Saldana start right up behind Schatz. However, the red flag came out on the 20th lap when a melee broke loose on the frontstretch. Shane Stewart and Brian Paulus took the brunt of the damage, with Paulus unable to restart since the rear end of his car was
broken in half.

After that red-flag period, the race stayed green and Schatz ran off with a straightaway lead over Saldana. Third-starter Jason Johnson held on for a third-place finish, which was particularly impressive since his car was smoking badly in the hot-lap session and his crew had to make quick work of fixing an oil leak.

Lasoski moved up to a fourth-place finish. Jason Meyers was fifth. Kinser stayed in sixth. Craig Dollansky was seventh. Wayne Johnson was eighth. Don Droud Jr. was ninth. Daryn Pittman was 10th.

The 22-lap B-Main was an exciting race, with Jeff Shepard of Upperco, Maryland, taking the win after starting fifth. Stewart was second after starting fourth. McCarl was third after starting seventh. Lasoski was fourth after starting way back in 22nd. Lasoski was to start 20th, but was sent to the tail at the original start by flagman Doug Clark for jumping. When the race went green, polesitter Brian Brown took off with the lead. A yellow flag at lap five was displayed for a spin by Jonathon Allard in turn one. He had been running sixth at the time. On the restart, Stewart took the lead away and held it for two laps. Brown got it back on lap eight. The yellow came out on lap nine when Brandon Wimmer stopped in turn two.

On the restart, Stewart again took the lead, but the yellow returned on the next circuit when Skip Jackson spun in turn two. Stewart held the lead through the next several laps until things really got crazy. On the 16th lap, the red flag came out when Lasoski and Kerry Madsen got together in a torrid fight for fifth place.

Madsen was sent spinning in turn four from the Lasoski tap and the yellow came out. Stewart led another green-flag lap before the yellow flag came out again when Lasoski got together with his nephew, Brown, in the fight for the fourth and final transfer spot. Lasoski was sent spinning, which was what prompted the yellow
flag, but he kept going and was allowed to keep the fifth spot. On the yellow-flag laps, there was much banging between uncle and nephew. And when the race
went back to green, Lasoski was able to keep Brown out of the transfer. While all of that was going on, Shepard took the lead away from Stewart and held it
through the end of the race.

The 15-lap C-Main was won by Jac Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio, who started fourth and used a yellow flag to his advantage. Brooke Tatnell started on the
pole and took the other transfer to the B-Main. Tatnell took the early lead of the race, but a yellow came out on the second lap when a skirmish between several cars left Dennis Moore Jr. slowing to a stop. The red flag came out on lap four when PJ Chesson spun in turn one and Jason Martin had nowhere to go but to flip over him. Jeremy Campbell and Clint Garner were also involved in the melee. Campbell and Garner were able to restart. Chesson and Martin could not restart, nor could Lynton Jeffrey, who pulled to the pit area with a bent drag link.

On the ninth lap, the yellow returned again for Moore, who looped his car in turn one as the leaders were coming to him. When the race restarted, Haudenschild wrestled the lead way from Tatnell and held it for the win.

The 12-lap D-Main was won by Brock Mayes of Bucyrus, Ohio, who started on the pole and led all the way. Dean Jacobs, who started outside the front row, ran
in second all the way and took the other transfer spot to the C-Main. The first red flag of the night was thrown in this event when Neil Shepherd blew a left-rear tire and went for a hard hit into the turn-two fence. He had been running in 12th at the time.

The 10-lap E-Main was won by John Lambertz of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who started on the pole, led all the way in the green-flag affair and won by a straightaway. Fourth starter Toni Lutar took second with a turn-one slide job on Bob Bennett on lap nine. Bennett took the third and final transfer spot to
the D-Main after starting outside the front row.

The 2006 Best Dressed Pit Crew award was given to Chad Kemenah's crew. Second place went to Stevie Smith's crew and third place went to Jason Johnson's
crew. There was no award given this year for Best Appearing Car. Jason Johnson won the Mr. Sprint Car title for amassing the most points through 10 nights of
racing in Southern Iowa. Tony Bruce Jr. of Liberal, Kansas, was the 2006 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year.

KNOXVILLE RACEWAY, Knoxville, IA
August 12, 2006


410 RESULTS

E Feature, 10 laps, 2:44.4: 1. John Lambertz, Sioux Falls SD; 2. Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, Can. ; 3. Bob Bennett, Lewisberry PA; 4. Mike Moore, Des Moines IA; 5. Kim Mock, Pleasant Prairie WI; 6. Rich Bubak, Golden Co; 7. Dan Shetler, Johnstown PA; 8. Dale Howard, Byhalia MS; 9. Brian Carlson, Linden IN; 10. Jerry Brey, Billings MT; 11. Greg Jones, Earlham IA;

D Feature, 12 laps, No Time: 1. Brock Mayes, Bucyrus OH; 2. Dean Jacobs, Wooster OH; 3. Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks ND; 4. Danny Smith, Danville IN; 5. Kelly Kinser, Bloomington IN; 6. Robert Ballou, Rocklin CA; 7. Kyle Hirst, Elk Grove CA; 8. Ryan Anderson, Charter Oak IA; 9. Jan Howard, Byhalia MS; 10. Tim St. Arnold, Des Moines IA; 11. Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls SD; 12. Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, Can. ; 13. Chad Hillier, Sedro Woolley WA; 14. Matt Moro, Ankeny IA; 15. Jerrod Hull, Sikeston MO; 16. James Mosher, Albuquerque NM; 17. Becca Anderson, Houston DE; 18. John Lambertz, Sioux Falls SD; 19. Bob Bennett, Lewisberry PA; 20. Chris Walraven, Knoxville IA; 21. Neil Shepherd, Warsaw IN; 22. Tim Hunter, Millersburg OH;

C Feature, 15 laps, No Time: 1. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster OH; 2. Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Aust. ; 3. Jason Sides, Bartlett TN; 4. Lance Dewease, Fayetteville PA; 5. Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls SD; 6. Trevor Green, (R) Adelaide, SA, Aust. ; 7. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA; 8. Dean Jacobs, Wooster OH; 9. Jesse Hockett, Warsaw MO; 10. Luke Cranston, Ness City KS; 11. Dion Hindi, Albuquerque NM; 12. Travis Whitney, Champlin MN; 13. Jon Corbin, Carrollton MO; 14. Clint Garner, Sioux Falls SD; 15. Brock Mayes, Bucyrus OH; 16. Jeremy Campbell, Monroe MI; 17. Brian Ellenberger, Butler PA; 18. Rager Phillips, (R) Pleasantville IA; 19. Dennis Moore Jr., Grinnell IA; 20. Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust./Prairie City IA; 21. PJ Chesson, Far Hills NJ; 22. Jason Martin, Liberal KS;

B Feature, 22 laps, No Time: 1. Jeff Shepard, Upperco MD; 2. Shane Stewart, Bixby OK; 3. Terry McCarl, Altoona IA; 4. Danny Lasoski, Dover MO; 5. Travis Rilat, Forney TX; 6. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO; 7. Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Aust. ; 8. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 9. Ricky Logan, Little Rock AR; 10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch MS; 11. Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge OH; 12. Jonathan Allard, Chico CA; 13. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster OH; 14. Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow OK; 15. Chad Layton, Harrisburg PA; 16. Todd Shaffer, Millerstown PA; 17. Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg PA; 18. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 19. Chad Kemenah, Findlay OH; 20. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 21. Brandon Wimmer, Fairmont IN; 22. Gary Wright, Hooks TX;

A Feature, 30 laps, No Time: 1. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND; 2. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; 3. Jason Johnson, Eunice LA; 4. Danny Lasoski, Dover MO; 5. Jason Meyers, Clovis CA; 6. Steve Kinser, Bloomington IN; 7. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN; 8. Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City OK; 9. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 10. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 11. Paul McMahan, Nashville TN; 12. Fred Rahmer, Salfordville PA; 13. Jeff Shepard, Upperco MD; 14. Tim Kaeding, San Jose CA; 15. Dusty Zomer, (R) Brandon SD; 16. Ed Lynch Jr., Apollo PA; 17. Shane Stewart, Bixby OK; 18. Sammy Swindell, Germantown TN; 19. Terry McCarl, Altoona IA; 20. Billy Alley, Lincoln NE; 21. Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL; 22. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 23. Brian Paulus, Mechanicsburg PA; 24. Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon WA. Lap Leaders: Saldana 1-3; Schatz 4; Saldana 5-12; Schatz 13-30