ELMA — Donny Schatz’s latest run of consecutive World of Outlaws series wins has been impressive and dominating over the last three weeks. It was on full display for everyone at Grays Harbor Raceway on Monday night.
Schatz used lapped traffic and a slingshot move in the corners to get past early race leader Steve Kinser to win his second consecutive Outlaws A-main event race in Elma and his 20th overall series win this season.
Since winning the prestigious Knoxville Nationals on Aug. 9, Schatz has won eight of the last nine Outlaws A-main event races. The win on Monday night was Schatz’s sixth in a row and it came at the expense of soon-to-be retired Kinser.
“Earlier in the year, we were just average, but we kept working on the car to get better and everything has been good,” said Schatz, who became the first back-to-back race winner at Elma since Mark Kinser did it in 1998-99. “Everything is coming together at the right time of the year. It seems to happen like that all of the time, I don’t know why. It is just the nature of the beast.”
“I would rather have won the race,” Steve Kinser said, “but I haven’t been winning too many here anyways. We ran good and I’m OK with what we did.”
Corbet, Ore.’s Collen Wineburger survived a nine-caution, 23-lap modified A-main race to claim his first-ever career win at Elma. Grays Harbor Raceway’s modified class was the supporting group on the night and fielded 24 cars.
World of Outlaws
Schatz, of Minot, N.D., and Kinser, of Bloomington, Ind., were the most talked about drivers on Monday, focusing on Schatz’s dominating run and Kinser’s pending retirement and possible last drive at Elma.
Kinser received a Washington state-themed basket from GHR promoter Steve Beitler during the opening ceremonies. Both Kinser and Schatz received the biggest cheers from the packed grandstands all night when they were introduced.
Kinser won the trophy dash to earn the pole position for the 30-lap A-main event. During the customary four-wide showcase before the race, the field put Kinser alone at the top of the formation to honor him at Elma.
It would have been a storybook night for the 20-time Outlaws champion, who has just one win on the season and was running well for the first 10 laps of the main event.
Behind Kinser, Schatz weaved through lapped traffic to get past second-place Cody Darrah, of Red Lion, Penn. Darrah couldn’t make a move earlier on Kinser in traffic, but Schatz did.
On the 10th lap, Kinser went low in turns three and four to get away from two lapped cars. Schatz went high, passed the same cars and then used the momentum to sling-shot under Kinser in turn four for the lead.
After the pass, Schatz ran away from the field before the race’s only caution flag flew on lap 22. On the restart, Schatz had open track and he ate it up for the win, his third career mark in Elma.
Darrah traded a few shots with Kinser to keep second place, while Kinser took third.
The upcoming schedule fits Schatz perfectly in his attempt to hold off reigning Outlaws champion Daryn Pittman in the points standings. Schatz now owns a 219-point lead over Pittman and will have five races in the next six days in Oregon and California.
“I’m not one to sit around, so for us, it is being at the race track here; that’s what we love to do,” Schatz said. “(The schedule) fits to what we like to do. There is a lot of travel, which we can do without, but the racing makes up for it. We’ll enjoy it as much as we can.”
Modifieds
The 25-lap A-main was shortened by time to 23 laps after nine caution flags extended the race too long. Track officials made the call after the eighth caution on lap 16 and Wineburger, who was the fourth leader of the race, was the beneficiary when the yellow/checkered flag flew on lap 23.
Raceway modified points leader Craig Moore, of Seabeck, held the pole position, but the lead traded hands several times during the multiple caution flags and restarts. Lawrence O’Conner, of Port Hardy, B.C., and Kenny Miller of Vancouver, Wash., all had the lead at one point in the first nine laps.
Wineburger took the lead for good on lap 10, then stayed away from trouble before the end was called. Montesano’s Josh Muller took second, with Chris Quinn, Shelton’s Scott Miller and Kenny Miller rounded out the top five.
Racing at Grays Harbor Raceway returns on Sept. 13 with the modifieds, street stocks, midgets and hornets.
The Vidette’s Brenden Carl contributed to this report.
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