Donny Schatz added to his win total in his home state of North Dakota over the weekend, scoring victories in both events for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. The nine-time and defending series champion opened the weekend with a win at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks and followed that up with a victory at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo. The Outlaws continue their trek to the West Coast this weekend, with races in South Dakota and Montana.

Two for one

Donny Schatz had four career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win at Red River Valley Speedway entering last weekend, but all of those came on the former half-mile configuration of the track. Schatz’s win on August 18 marked his first on the newer three-eighths-mile layout, which his family was instrumental in bringing to fruition, during the time they operated the fairgrounds oval. The nine-time and defending series champion has won at every track the Outlaws have raced at in his home state of North Dakota over the years.

Knocking on the door

Jacob Allen finished second at Red River Valley Speedway as he continues to close in on his first-career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win. Allen led four laps, which marked the second straight year he has led in the state of North Dakota, after leading the first-ever laps of his career with the series last year at River Cities Speedway. Allen, who now has seven top-five finishes this season, is just 14 points out of the top-10 in the series standings.

Slick track prowess

Greg Wilson and Logan Schuchart, who are both known for their acumen on very slick race tracks, both turned in solid runs at Red River Valley Speedway. Wilson, who started 14^th, finished fourth. He used a couple of strong restart on the extreme bottom of the track to make a late-race charge from 12^thto fourth. Schuchart started 19^thand worked his way to fifth, which earned him the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award.

Doubling up

With his win at River Cities Speedway, Donny Schatz swept both events at the track for the fourth time in his career. He has won eight of the last 10 races contested by the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at the high-banked bullring and has a total of 11 wins with the series at the venue. Not to be outdone, Schatz was also victorious in the companion NLRA Late Model event at River Cities, which was the third time in his career that he won both a World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series race and NLRA race on the same night at River Cities Speedway.

Hometown pride

Mark Dobmeier thrilled the crowd at his home track of River Cities Speedway, with a sterling drive from the 17^thstarting spot to finish second. The winningest sprint car driver in track history steadily worked his way forward in what turned out to be a rough and tumble 40-lap event. Dobmeier lined up behind Donny Schatz on a single-file restart with just three laps remaining, but the latter was too strong in open track. Upon climbing out of his car on the front straightaway after the race, Dobmeier received a thunderous ovation, after coming up just one spot short of earning an elusive World of Outlaws win at his home track. The veteran driver picked the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger for his march through the field.

A nice recovery

Brad Sweet spun while leading at River Cities Speedway on the 27^thlap of the 40-lap event. Sweet, who was running the bottom of the track, was being pressured up top by Donny Schatz. Over the final 13 laps of the race, Sweet was able to make his way back to the front of the field and ended up crossing the line fifth. The winner of the Knoxville Nationals led 16 laps as he was looking for his first River Cities win, after finishing second in June.

Another nice recovery

Brent Marks was involved in a lap-2 accident at River Cities Speedway, which led to a trip to the work area for repairs, including getting a new top wing. Marks, who initially started 21^st, was able to power his way back through the field to finish eighth.

Moving on up

Daryn Pittman gained 10 spots at River Cities Speedway, coming from the 14^thstarting spot to finish fourth. The 2013 series champion used a couple of strong restarts to surge forward. Pittman, who ran as high as third, fell back to sixth with 10 laps to go and was able to gain a couple more spots back in the late going. Pittman came from 14^thto seventh the following night at Red River Valley Speedway.

On the podium

Kerry Madsen finished third both nights in North Dakota, which brought his season tally to a perfect three for three when it comes to podium finishes in the state. The Australian, who now calls Knoxville, Iowa, home, also finished third at River Cities Speedway back in June.

North Dakota debut

Rico Abreu made his first trip to North Dakota to race at River Cities Speedway and Red River Valley Speedway. The Californian started third at Grand Forks and was running up when he was caught up in an accident just before the halfway point of the race. After a trip to the work area he charged his way back into the top-10, only to have more bad luck with a handful of laps remaining, which ended his night. Abreu rebounded in his Red River Valley Speedway debut, finishing eighth.

A career night

Jade Hastings scored the first top-10 finish of his career with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at River Cities Speedway, coming home 10^th. With that finish, the young driver put two drivers who hail from Grand Forks in the top-10 against the Outlaws. Hastings actually texted his crew on the morning of the race that they were going to finish in the top-10. After being involved in an accident with just six laps to go, he worked hard to live up to his word and clawed his way into the top-10.

Points update

Donny Schatz extended his lead over Brad Sweet in the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series and now holds a 238-point advantage. David Gravel remains third, with Daryn Pittman fourth and Shane Stewart rounding out the top-five. Logan Schuchart and Sheldon Haudenschild are tied for sixth. Ian Madsen remains eighth, with Brent Marks ninth and Kraig Kinser 10^th. After his runner-up finish at Red River Valley Speedway, Jacob Allen is just 14 points out of the top-10.

Up next

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series visits Black Hills Speedway in South Dakota on Friday. Shane Stewart won last year at the half-mile, which snapped a three-race Donny Schatz win streak at the venue. On Saturday, the series heads to Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Mont., where Daryn Pittman won last year to earn his second victory at the three-eighths-mile.