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SEASON 30: Schatz Feeling Revitalized, Grateful for Opportunity with CJB Motorsports
CONCORD, NC (January 2, 2026) – Donny Schatz stepped on stage feeling bad for Johnny Gibson.
The suited men sat in front of hundreds at the 2025 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Awards Banquet. Thousands more watched at home on DIRTVision. So many eyes fixed on them. Gibson’s job? To find the good in every competitor’s campaign as an avenue of introduction.
“How could he possibly spin this positively,” Schatz wondered. The 48-year-old had been in this position several times before when Gibson needed no creative optimism. Schatz’s résumé boasts so many successful seasons with The Greatest Show on Dirt that have occurred right alongside Gibson’s tenure.
Schatz knew 2025 was not among them. He went winless for the first time since his rookie year in 1997. Headlines showed his name, but not in the fashion he’s accustomed to. The Sprint Car world was rocked when Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing parted ways in August, ending a run that began in 2008. The Fargo, ND native then split time driving four different cars to finish the season. No way Gibson could find a sliver of sunlight in an entirely overcast sky, right?
But the longtime Series announcer proved Schatz wrong. All it took was a little math.
“Like five minutes before I went up to go on stage, I actually said to myself, ‘I’m not sure what Johnny Gibson, and he’s the best at his job, could possibly talk about with me in front of the crowd here that has a silver lining,’ and I said that to him when I got up there,” Schatz said. “And he said, ‘It’s 30 years next year.’ And I said, ‘No, Johnny, it’s not 30 years. It’s 29.’ And he said, ‘No, it’s 30.’ I guess you just lose track of anything past the first couple. It’s crazy to think about.”
Since that realization washed over Schatz, more reasons to be hopeful have entered his life. Along with reaching a major milestone by contesting his 30th season in 2026, he’ll open a new chapter.
The 10-time Series champion recently inked a deal with Chad Clemens’ CJB Motorsports for the upcoming season. The move pairs Schatz with one of the sport’s most legendary mechanics, Barry Jackson. After enduring one of the most trying years of his career, the move rejuvenated the 48-year-old as he prepares for his World of Outlaws career to span three full decades.
“I wasn’t to my full potential to finish out the season probably mentally,” Schatz admitted. “When things happen, it’s like a snowball effect. When bad things happen, they just keep going. I had a lot of people stick their neck out for me, and I felt like I did the best I could to get to the end and we got there. But the off-season has been a big reset. It’s been a mental reset. It’s been a physical reset. For me to start over and recharge the batteries and refresh the attitude and all the things it takes. I’m super pumped. I’m ready to get back racing.”
It’s also a dream come true for Clemens as the team owner. He’s had plenty of the sport’s best drive for him in the past. Sammy Swindell, David Gravel, and Paul McMahan are just a few who’ve piloted CJB machines. Now, he gets to add one of Sprint Car racing’s most accomplished wheelmen ever to the list.
“This is a dream of a lifetime,” Clemens said of having Schatz drive for him. “Not only is he a hell of a driver and has a lot left in him yet, but he’s also a good friend too. It’s not like I just know him as a race car driver. I know him as a friend. It’s more than just a race car driver. He’s just a really down-to-earth, good person. His family is awesome. I always talked to his father at the races. I’ve always talked to his mom. I’ve talked to his sister. It’s going to be a dream come true.”
Hiring Schatz meant expanding to a two-car team as CJB continues to field the No. 5 for Brenham Crouch. Assembling a crew and the many resources for a second top-tier Sprint Car operation is no small task. But when the opportunity with Schatz arose, Clemens and Jackson didn’t wonder if it was possible. It was merely a question of how they could make it work.
“When this whole thing came to possibly happening, my first comment to Barry was, ‘I know we can’t let this not happen. We have to make this happen somehow,’” Clemens said. “I asked him, ‘Are we able with our current situation and equipment, and are you willing to go back to the Outlaws?’ And the answers were, ‘Yes and yes.’”
Teaming up is far from the first connection between Schatz and Jackson. Their relationship dates back several years as Jackson’s path crossed with Schatz’s longtime crew chief, Ricky Warner.
“Barry is a Carlisle, Pennsylvania native, and he grew up with Rick Warner,” Schatz said. “Obviously, me and Rick have a good history together. Rick was someone that always confided in Barry for a lot of things. There was a time when Barry was building his own race cars, and I think we tried one a time or two at Oskaloosa and I think on the west coast. So, Barry is someone that’s been close back when I raced with Rick Warner. Ultimately, we respected each other. Barry is a very passionate, fiery person. You know what’s on his mind. I’m kind of the same way. I respect that.”
Roughly a month remains before the 2026 campaign begins. Luckily for the CJB crew, it ignites at a track that’s been kind to Schatz over the years. Barberville, FL’s Volusia Speedway Park is the destination in early February, and Schatz has won 24 times in 99 Sprint Car races at the 1/2 mile. With Schatz’s laps and Jackson’s extensive notebook, Schatz is optimistic they can come out of the gate swinging.
“It’s not going to take us six months to get going or get a win,” Schatz said. “I feel like we can get going right away because of Barry’s experience and my experience and obviously a fresh start. Those guys have been open to anything. They’ve asked me a lot, what it is I want to do here and there.”
Clemens shares his driver’s confidence.
“I think they’re going to start meshing right off the bat,” Clemens said. “Barry has a mindset that he wants to win and he’s driven and he’s dedicated, and Donny has the same mindset. When you have two guys that have the same mindset, I’m not going to put a projection on what I think we’re going to do, but I think it’s going to be a very positive year. I think it’s going to be a good year, and I have trust in both of them.”
Schatz’s plans are set. The season is nearing. Season number 30. A milestone that means so much to the kid from North Dakota that committed his life to Sprint Car racing. A number that’s put things in perspective and brightened his outlook as he readies for what’s ahead. He knows there’s plenty left in the tank. Schatz intends to contend in 2026.
“When it all comes together and we get to the first race, I think that’s when everybody is going to swallow hard and say, ‘Man, it took a lot to get to this point, but this is very rewarding and let’s go out and get some gators in Florida and get ourselves in a good position to race for a championship,” Schatz said.
Schatz and the CJB Motorsports No. 15 team will begin the 2026 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 4-7. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
For the complete 2026 schedule, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.
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