CONCORD, N.C. — As Donny Schatz enters his 29th season on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series trail, the 10-time series champion has plenty to be apprehensive about.
He has a new crew chief and two new crew members, he’ll be racing against multiple rookie World of Outlaws drivers and at age 47 he knows he’s on the back end of his driving career.
During the offseason, longtime crew chief, Steve “Scuba” Swenson, stepped away from the sport, leaving the Tony Stewart Racing team with a hole to fill.
It promoted within, naming Todd Devnich, a veteran of not only sprint car racing, but NASCAR racing as well, as crew chief. Devnich has spent the past few seasons as car chief, and he started his career working on Schatz’s family car three decades ago.
“Obviously, there are a lot of our changes. The backbone of our team went another direction. Steve Swenson, ‘Scuba,’ which is how everyone knows him. It’s going to be an adjustment to deal with that,” Schatz explained during a Jan. 28 media session. “When I first came to TSR in 2007, he was there, and he has been a huge staple. He’s been a part of all the championships and all the success. The last several years, the trials and tribulations the last few years of trying to get us back to championship status. He is not doing anything in racing anymore. We thought maybe he we would, but he’s not.
“That leaves Todd Devnich. He and I have a long history together from when I had my own team,” Schatz continued. “All those years, we raced together like in ’99 and 2000. It was so long ago, I can’t even count that far back. He went on to be a car chief in NASCAR and he worked for a lot of great organizations. Now, with him becoming a crew chief and having to bring on two new guys to me it is going to be a different scenario and a completely different atmosphere going into races the first night.”
Gary Patellaro and Ian Lyon have joined the team as car chief and tire specialist, respectively.
“Todd has been with me the last several seasons as car chief so we know the communication,” Schatz noted. “I think he knows kind of what to expect. He knows I am very forward. I don’t have any problem voicing my opinion. I’m not going to light-foot around something, I am going to let them know. When I am upset, they’ll know it, but they also know when they have a pat on the back coming they are going to get that, too.
“I don’t know there is going to be an issue with communication. We are all there to get the best out of what we can and to try to build on each night. We just need to get started.”
But Schatz knows building chemistry with a team is a process.
“The other two guys being new will have to read us a little bit and see,” he said. “If you are an outsider watching me at the race track, you are probably going to go, ‘Well, he’s an asshole.’ At the end of the day, that is our job.
“We are not there to eat ice cream cones and hand out chocolate chip cookies. It’s about winning a race and being as competitive you can be that night. Sometimes it is super intense and sometimes I probably don’t juggle that intensity quite right,” he added. “It is what it is. I am who I am and I’m not going to change.”
Heading to Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park for next week’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Schatz is as motivated as ever, but realistic about his place in the sport.
“I still have that competitive drive. I still am motivated as ever. Is it getting to be more of an uphill battle? Absolutely,” he said. “At 47 years old, I don’t think I am anywhere near the end of what people would consider a career but I look back and look at Steve and look at Sammy and these guys who did it competitively into their 60s … Am I going to go that far? Probably not.”
The elder statesman of winged sprint car racing, Schatz says competing at a high level takes a toll over the years.
“As things evolve, the person that you become to win a championship, the person that I became, I neglected by family, it was all about getting on top of the world and winning these races,” he explained. “You neglect all these important things in your life. You ignore the woman you are married to because she is not as important as winning the championship or being on top of your game. You live all these things and then you kind of look back and say, ‘Damn, was that really necessary? I could have done that without doing those things.’ You can’t cry over spilled milk.
“The one thing that it (age and experience) has allowed me to do, is to take a step back and each night you see the people who are there. I have more interaction with the fans now and spend more time at the T-shirt trailers and all those because you are not so wrapped up in thinking that the world revolves around a trophy every night,” Schatz added. “Obviously, that is what we want to do, but you have to have a good balance.
“When I had things going the right way, I didn’t have good balance. I couldn’t balance it,” he noted. “I can tell you that most days anymore, I enjoy the balance. I still know I am competitive. Some days it is an uphill battle, but we all know that as we get older those things happen anyway. I don’t look at anybody and envy them.”
