A major piece of Eldora Speedway lore is a story surrounding the charismatic Earl Baltes, and Donny Schatz is no exception.<\/p>\n
Well before he was even close to earning the first of his now 10 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car championships, the aspiring racer made the mistake of downplaying Eldora with a camera on and a microphone in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the days when we had TNN doing the coverage, Steve Evans was a commentator,\u201d Schatz recalled. \u201cWhen we went to Bristol that first time, Steve Evans wanted to compare Eldora and Bristol, and honestly, there was no comparison. That Bristol place was an insane amount of banking, insane speed. It had so much bank that if there was a car next to you, it was a different elevation up, and you couldn\u2019t see them out the right side at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, Steve Evans, he came and asked me a question about what I thought of it. And I\u2019m like, \u2018Man, I don\u2019t know what to say.\u2019 Anyway, I just said it makes Eldora look like a wussy track. I was young and wasn\u2019t very refined with what came out of my mouth or pretty much anything at the time. Man, did Earl take offense to it. He singled me out at the next drivers meeting. He went after me and called me a joker and said that I\u2019d never won at his racetrack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Welcome to Eldora, Donny.<\/p>\n
But like most stories involving track founder Baltes, that moment was merely a bump in the road on the path to profound friendship between him and the Schatz family. And that \u201cjoker\u201d Baltes called out wound up finding his way to Eldora Victory Lane on more than a few occasions.<\/p>\n
The Rossburg, OH oval has become one of the largest pieces of Schatz\u2019s sure-fire Hall of Fame r\u00e9sum\u00e9. He\u2019s won 19 times at the iconic 1\/2-mile dirt track, including six Kings Royal crowns, just one shy of Steve Kinser\u2019s record for the most and a record he could equal this weekend (July 18-19) at the 42nd running of the crown jewel. Another highlight is topping the 2002 Historical Big One.<\/p>\n
One of the ways Schatz stands out at Eldora is his maneuverability. He\u2019s become known for being able to find speed in any of the many lanes Eldora offers, especially in the slick, where several struggle. That expertise didn\u2019t come overnight. The Fargo, ND legend worked and worked, determined to be able to go where few are willing to go for pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the big races came around in the summer, everything got slick and that\u2019s when the money was up,\u201d Schatz said. \u201cWe really focused on trying to work on the slick stuff. There were times when there\u2019s a car on the top and car on the bottom, you didn\u2019t have much of a choice. You had to try to run through. It\u2019s not like we ever just focused on the middle; we just tried getting our car stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schatz\u2019s Eldora success is special to him beyond the history and prestige the track already holds. It\u2019s amplified by the fact he\u2019s done most of his winning there while driving for the same man who now owns the track, Tony Stewart.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmoke\u201d purchased \u201cThe House that Earl Built\u201d in 2004, and Schatz began driving for Tony Stewart\/Curb-Agajanian Racing in 2008. Since joining forces, Schatz has taken the No. 15 on 16 trips to Eldora Victory Lane, including all but one of his Kings Royal crowns. Through that time, Stewart has continued to push Eldora to new heights in many ways and carry on the legacy established by Baltes. Both Schatz and Stewart have progressed and evolved their interests over the years, and Eldora unites them.<\/p>\n
\u201cTony\u2019s got great people in everything he\u2019s ever been involved in,\u201d Schatz said. \u201cHe\u2019s obviously got great people at Eldora. Even though times change and people change, he still has great people there. It\u2019s kind of funny; it\u2019s one of those places where you\u2019d think we\u2019d go there and get a good parking spot or something, but when this truck rolls in, they make sure if they\u2019re going to be hard on someone, they\u2019re hard on this one. It\u2019s almost like a competition to show him that we don\u2019t care who you are, we\u2019re going to do the best we can by anybody. He\u2019s done a tremendous job with it. It\u2019s crazy to see how the races have grown. The crowds have grown.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest measurement of growth will be this weekend as The Greatest Show on Dirt invades Eldora for the 42nd running of the Kings Royal. Saturday\u2019s winner will take home a record $200,000 in riches. Even with some 2025 struggles, expect Schatz to be in the running for another trip to the throne.<\/p>\n
Six of Schatz\u2019s last seven Eldora visits have resulted in podiums, including five runner-ups. The tricky 1\/2 mile still suits Schatz perfectly. He\u2019s still got the fire. He\u2019s still got the drive. He wants to be crowned King once again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look back at the guys that have won it, Steve Kinser, Jac Haudenschild, Sammy Swindell, they\u2019re all guys that I looked up to as a young driver,\u201d Schatz said. \u201cWhen you think of the Kings Royal, you think of that great big throne and the cape and the crown and the scepter and all those things. I remember the first time I won it. I was so excited. It\u2019s kind of like someone giving you a hat, and you\u2019ve got to give it back after the pictures are over, and I was like, \u2018You guys aren\u2019t getting this stuff back.\u2019 And they were like, \u2018Oh no, we\u2019re getting it back.\u2019 So, I said, \u2018Over my dead body you are. I\u2019m putting this on the wall at home. I\u2019m keeping this. Yeah, I had to pay for it. I got in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schatz goes after a record-tying seventh Kings Royal crown this weekend (July 18-19) at Eldora Speedway. For tickets, CLICK HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n