INDIANAPOLIS — Ten-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz will embark on his 28th season with The Greatest Show On Dirt next season.
Schatz, Tony Stewart Racing and the World of Outlaws made the announcement Thursday morning at the 35th PRI Trade Show at the Indiana Convention Center.
Schatz first ran the World of Outlaws tour in 1997 when he earned the series rookie of the year award.
Schatz will be back aboard the Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 beginning at Volusia Speedway Park in February.
“It was kind of an easy decision for me,” Schatz said in the SPEED SPORT booth. “I didn’t even know there was a decision really the same race clubs since 2000. There’s not a lot of changing going on for us. I was very fortunate at a young age to get to know Ted Johnson, and got to be one of Ted’s guys.
BREAKING: @DonnySchatz will be back with the @WorldofOutlaws in 2024, which has been his home for the last 28 years 🤝🏼 pic.twitter.com/dWdlhqdfIL
— SPEED SPORT (@SPEEDSPORT) December 8, 2023
“And even though he’s not around anymore, I still see his vision in the same light. And I think a lot of the fans do, too. There are other options, but for me and Tony Stewart racing, this is where we’ll be.”
Schatz acknowledged that racing on the road can be a struggle.
“There are nights that that don’t go well and you question why you’re doing it,” Schatz said. “I’ve done that for 28 years, so I’m used to those sort of things, but it’s not for everyone. There are a lot of big money races in the dirt world and that’s huge. So, I’m glad to be a part of it, been a part of it for a long time and obviously gonna continue to be part of it.”
Schatz is focused on winning the World of Outlaws title.
“I think we’re more focused on the World of Outlaws championship than we have been for years,” he said. “We’ve had a really rocky three or four years and last year was probably even worse. But we’re able to put a finger on a lot of those things and it’s one thing here and one thing there. There were a lot of outside factors as well. I need to be a better person as a leader with my guys.
“Everybody feeds off the driver and the driver’s probably not the most positive person every night when things aren’t a hundred percent that takes its toll on everybody else and it takes its toll on performance,” Schatz continued. “I have that fixed and I think my guys understand it. My guys have stuck with me through a lot of things and Ford’s done a great job of getting us in the direction we want to go. And now we got all those pieces in the right spot.”