23rd to 2nd at Terre Haute, 3 top 5's this weekend.

Might he have turned the corner?

Might he have put the Chevy back in?

JK!

I havent been able to watch enough to know, but has his problem been power?

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

Seems that way. Had a lucky break in a sense that the engine expired on him in his heat race instead of the feature. I expected him to make the top 10 at least and wouldn't be out of the question of a top 5 just based on the drivers that were in the field. No that is not a knock on those guys but with the caliber driver that Donny is plus the equipment, looking at the first dozen or so drivers I expect him to move up through the field and coming up to second is still impressive.

On another note, how unlucky has Sweet been the past two races. Engine, Blown tire while running 2nd, caught up in a wreck, then the front wheel comes off being pushed off. Still feel like performance wise that team is at the top and probably stood a shot at winning last night. Started 12th and was going to restart 2nd and they were not quite at halfway at that point. That would have been equally impressive to have the previous 3 wins starting 7th, 9th, and 12th.

What's with all these front wheels coming off lately?  I can't ever remember that happening and now it's happened twice in two days. Kraigs deal could've been ugly had that frame dug in the ground and caught. 

One more yellow----and God knows there were enough of those----and he challenges Logan for the win.  He was hooked up on exit better than any car in that field.  I found myself actually pulling for him to win it even though Logan is definitely a favorite of mine.  Last-to-first is just too hard to not enjoy.  

He said in an interview they were struggling with balance. We're used to utter domination and he's definitely been off this year but he's ahead of logan in the points and they are having a career year. Just goes to show you the impact of expectations have. 

I find myself pulling for him lately after cheering against him for 10 plus years. 

No, it's a Ford in it... you can always tell if it's a Ford or Chevy. Look at the headers, the two center exhaust pipes close together is a Chevy, and evenly spread is a Ford.

The Crowd Pleaser IS THE BEST ever!

Unless it is an LS Chevy engine.  Unfortunately, they are illegal for the World of Outlaws.

A 410 LS Chevy won the track championship at St. Francois County Raceway in 2018 and is currently leading the point standings.

Yea builders have found something for sure. The LS engines seem to be coming on strong

Exactly how I feel....hate to see a legend on his way down

Maybe they're figuring it out...

Yep...

I think RW is or was back with team 15. If anybody got them turned around it was him. That guy will never get the respect he is due. In years past it was all about who was the crew chief behind the driver.  Today it's about who is in the seat.  Well in my opinion and I believe many others,  the guy that would have been the next outlaw king was Kevin Gobrect. His crew chief ? Ricky Warner.  

This is right the crew chief and really the whole team is behind any success. I really prefer to say " the 15 team" or " the 49 team" than say donny schatz or brad sweet. RW is definatly a big part of donnys success. Look at kyle larson results in a winged sprint car without Silva working on his car. Silva quits working on it today he stops winning at the rate he is winning. Period. I believe silva was helping Rico a few years back when he was running real good hes not running as good now. Crew chief is a BIG part of the deal.

Agreed. I would never have the guts to race but would love to apprentice with one of those guys... especially engine builders!

Obviuosly he dug out the old traction control device he was using 10 years ago..... . Or maybe he's just really good. LOL

Crew chief is a big deal.  However, the split second decisions that have to be made on the track, and the near perfect marks that must be hit make me lean towards the driver being the most important part of the equation.  And I agree Paul Silva is good.  Kyle Larson is great.  There are PLENTY of races he has won (in the last 2 weeks even let alone his career) when Paul Silva was not crew chief for the car.  Not that you can't have an opinion......I just respectfully disagree. 

Donny is getting older every year.  Couple that with some performance issues and you get a result that has everyone scratching their heads.  But in my opinion, Donny has been the main factor in his success.  Not to take away from the other pieces of the puzzle----like Kyle, I think he is the most important piece.