Trevose, PA— January 27, 2008--By: Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director

With the 2008 Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season opener less than two weeks away, two-time defending series champion Donny Schatz is still being recognized for his outstanding 2007 campaign. The North Dakota native was honored on Saturday night by being named the recipient of the Al Holbert Memorial/EMPA Driver of the Year Award at the 40^th Anniversary Eastern Motorsports Press Association banquet in Trevose, Pennsylvania.

Last season, Schatz claimed 19 A-Feature wins, along with being victorious in the Knoxville Nationals for the second consecutive year.  In 2007, he became the first driver in sprint car racing history to win the Knoxville Nationals, the Kings Royal, the National Open, the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and the Williams Grove Summer Nationals all in the same season.

In the 75 A-Feature events that were contested in 2007 by the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, the 1997 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year finished in the Top-10 in 71 of them. Of those finishes, 53 were in the Top-Five. He led the series in a number of other statistical categories including: money earned, laps led, wins in the dash and pole positions.

The 30^th anniversary Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season begins on February 8, 2008 with the 37^th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, with tickets available at: http://www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com.

Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts is the second-largest retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, based on store count and sales. As of October 6, 2007, the company operated 3,228 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The company serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets.