Schatz races to 15th place finish in prelim feature at Chili Bowl
TULSA, Oklahoma (January 12, 2021) – Donny Schatz’s fourth attempt at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals kicked off on Tuesday night at the Tulsa Expo Center.
After finishing second and third in his heat race and qualifier, respectively, Schatz lined up on the pole for B-main #2 with the top four cars moving on to the A-main.
In B-main action, Schatz led early but was passed by Hunter Schuerenberg after leaving the bottom groove to run the cushion. Schatz then had his hands full with Sam Hafertepe Jr. as the top three cars all raced for the lead.
Schatz fell back to third briefly before finding his rhythm around the bottom once again. Schatz moved back by Hafertepe Jr. for second before setting his sights on Schuerenberg for the race lead.
The field got strung out in the waning laps as Schatz finished second and punched his ticket into the main event.
Schatz battled his way forward in the 30-lap feature, racing from the 20th starting spot to finish 15th.
Schatz heads back to Vado, New Mexico tonight to compete in his Schatz Crossroad / Fastlane Car Wash / Ford-powered XR1 Late Model at the Wild West Shootout. Schatz will also be in action at Vado Speedway Park on Friday before heading back to the Chili Bowl on Saturday.
