Shane Stewart led all 30 laps, but held off a hard charging Donny Schatz to win the “The Knight Before the Kings Royal” Friday at Eldora Speedway.
Schatz had moved from fifth to second when Logan Schuchart’s car stopped on the backstretch on the 24th circuit to cause the event’s final yellow flag setting up a six-lap shootout for the win on the lightning fast track.
On the restart, Stewart started inside, while Schatz, who swept two World of Outlaw races at Eldora in May, started on the outside.
Stewart, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, went low while Schatz went high with all four wheels above the cushion but the 20-time winner in the World of Outlaws competition this year couldn’t rally past Stewart and finished a car length back at the checkered flag.
Stewart has five World of Outlaws to his credit in 2015 and collected $10,000 for the win. He will look to collect $50,000 Saturday in the 32nd Kings Royal.
“I’m just really happy to be on the receiving end of having the 15 (Schatz) behind me instead of me being behind the 15,” Stewart said. “It’s been that way all year and any time he lines up next to you, you have to be on your A-game. It’s great to win the night before the Kings Royal. All these great fans are here. My car was pretty good and hopefully this a good omen for tomorrow.”
Schatz finished second, while Daryn Pittman, Joey Saldana and Sammy Swindell rounded out the top-five. Saldana moved from the 12th starting spot to finish fourth. Sixth and seventh place finishers Brad Sweet and Paul McMahan both advanced nine positions from their original starting position while Jason Sides passed 11 cars to finish ninth.
The event was red flagged on the original start after Sheldon Haudenschild spun wildly into the Turn 1 retaining fence. He was not injured.
In the NRA Sprint Invaders 20-lap A-Feature, Butch Schroeder started fifth and moved from third to first in one lap to score the victory.
Dustin Daggett, from Portland, Michigan, started on the pole and lead early, but Schroeder, from Leipsic, Ohio, passed him near the halfway point.
“I’ve won here before, but coming to Eldora four times a year is what I look forward too,” Schroeder said. “To be able to be up here on stage, I’m blessed by God and my family and friends.”
Tomorrow night is the exciting 32nd Kings Royal and tickets can be purchased at www.eldoraspeedway.com or by phone at (937) 338-3815. There have been seven different winners in the last seven years.
Saturday night’s starting lineup is determined via a formula that is unique to Eldora for the extended 40-lap Kings Royal.
Per usual, Time Trials will be held in order of random draw conducted prior to the driver meeting. The fastest of two laps determines Heat Race seeding.
As is Kings Royal tradition, there will be six Heat Races instead of the four typical experienced at a sprint car race. The results of time trials will be staggered by qualifying time with an invert of five placing the 25th fastest qualifier on the pole of Heat Race one and the 30th fastest qualifier on the pole of Heat Race six. The fastest qualifier will start fifth in the first heat with the sixth qualifier in starting fifth in the sixth heat race.
The top-three finishers will advance from the Heat Races and complete the first 18 positions in the Kings Royal. Cars finishing fourth, fifth and sixth – that are not the two fastest qualifiers who did not finish in the top-three in their heat race – advance to the B-Feature. Cars finishing seventh through 10th advance to the C-Feature.
There will be one C-Feature with cars finishing first through sixth advancing to the B-Feature. Cars finishing first through fourth will advance to the Kings Royal.
The two fastest qualifiers not advancing from the Heat Races will start 19th and 20th in the Kings Royal.
Eldora Speedway PR
