Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Donny Schatz and traction control! 

There are many ways to look at this, this is just a couple. I am not a Schatz fan, but I am also not going to bad mouth the guy!  HE IS ONE HELL OF A SPRINTCAR DRIVER. And does a lot for the sport I LOVE.

One way to clear his name from cheating would be give him a challenge!  Next time he steps on to the Knoxville raceway for the Saturday night A main of the nationals. Make him run a brand new fresh outta the box MSD box AND MAG. Let his engine builder install the mag and let him hook up the box the way he wants it done.  Give him a few laps to tune it in and make sure its right!  If his car would happen to shut down! Switch out the components with new if the car fires he gets his spot back!

 But then you would be giving him more laps on a track during a much needed time, And if you was Donny why would you agree to that. Why should he have to prove himself to a bunch of people that have been taking badly of him since his third Kville nationals win!!  BC no said shit the first two times.  

Also what if he does have a bad night!!   Then it makes his name worse!!    But what if he did win, will all of you haters  go give him an apology and mean it! If I was him I wouldn’t even take it!   The only thing I would let you do is buy my new shirt.  So would you buy his shirts!!   

But a new MSD box and mag would nt prove a point CUZ who else is doing it.  Do you hand out 25 new sets to everyone that makes the feature!  Or do you hand out 100+ sets to all the competitors!!   But then WHO the hell wants to pay for all that.

So then what do you do.  Come up with some comp. software to test mag boxes!!   And that’s if you could even do that  ( im nt the person to be able to figure that out) and im sure that’s costly. And is software and im sure you could cheat with that also.  

Or who is going to bring the chassis dyno to the track, and test it that way. Then run the chance of blowing up someone’s engine after they just got done pulling the guts outa them for 50 stupid laps.         ( that’s a discussion for a later time)  

O and also try to get the fair board to agree with any of it!  GOOD LUCK. 

But there is a lot of money to be won at the nats!    

In other words people the only way you can talk crap is if he gets caught red handed or spend a bunch more money on trying to prove it.

I guess we could just get on hose heads and point fingers and cry about everything!

im just writing this bc I don’t like people talking sh*% about me!  And im sure Donny does nt ether! But im sure he will not waste his time explaining himself to a bunch of haters!

This is America! What ever happened to ancient until proven guilty!!  

If he is cheating then that says a lot about him as a man!

Eliminate electronic magnetos, or force MSD to develop an easier way to tech their ignition box... 

Good call.  All if not most of WoO teams are probably using them. 

All the races Steve Kinser has won and never heard anyone acuse him of using traction control. Anyone else wins alot over several years and they MUST be using it! 

I LIKE THE SOUNDS OF THAT!!!!     GET ON IT MSD!!! 

It would be nice to hear from WoO or Knoxville how they go about checking cars for TC. 

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The TC excuse is by claimed by everyone but has never been proven. Locally here in the IRA, Bill Balog has been accused of TC for the past couple of years because he dominates the IRA. I'm sure the same TC excuse is used in every form of racing where one driver outperforms all the other.

I'm not a Schatz fan but Donny doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. His record speaks for itself! 7 of the last 8 Nationals and he might have had 8 in a row if his engine didn't give up when Tim Schaefer won. Add in a couple of 2nds and 3rds and nobody has ever had a 10 year run at the Nationals to match what Donny has done. I believe Donny is better right now because of his confidence and all the other drivers are looking over thier shoulder, waiting for Donny to appear. Right now, Donny Schatz is in the head of every other sprint car driver.

MSD isnt the answer, We have had two DQ's this year running them. With any form of ignition it is possible to cheat. The only way you could make it more legal is to run electronic ignition. Make every car throw their box in a pile and blind pick like a pill draw. Then they are all legal or you waste money on trying to cheat and other cars get to use them.

I don't like accusations without proof at all. However, I'm curious about this: Since TC is illegal, how can companies that sell them afford ads in Sprint & Midget, if nobody buys them?

TC is legal in many types of racing. 

If Schatz was using traction control why was his right rear in worse shape than Browns after the race. If he had TC wouldn't his tire wear be less if they were using the same compound tire?

The fact is Donny Shatz is the best racer at this time, just like Steve was for so many years period. He wins because he can read the track and put himself into a winning position more than anyone else. Like it or not that is the way it is?

I don't understand your post...

I've never heard of a traction control device being used on a magneto with points (like a vertex). It seems like all of the traction control devices have been designed to work with an electronic mag (like an MSD).

That's why I suggested earlier that they should outlaw the MSD type magneto. Or... ask MSD to help figure out how to make tech easy and fool proof...

Why would MSD help improve tech? Well, if a sanctioning body, like the WoO threatened to ban them, I'm guessing that MSD would make an effort to help develop a better way to inspect.

Someone also suggested that Donnie's tires looked worse for wear after the big race. In my opinion, Schatz did a better job of finding the rubber and using it to his advantage. Therefore, his tires probably did wear more...

Schatz is one of the best when it comes to changing his line and finding the fastest way around the race track. I'm not buying the TC idea.

MSD is not going to help find the teams running TC, MSD Offers TC as an option to their box, TC is not cheap so if they can sell it why would they help outlaw it?

Ryan Riley 

IF this is a true statement, outlaw the electronic magnetos...

The vertex style mag is cheaper to buy and maintain; doesn't facilitate traction control; and when built right, the output at the plug is just as good as the MSD type.

If traction control is a real problem and if MSD refuses to help police, ban them and be done with it!

Who is to say Brown didn't put on a softer tire? Schatz knows the track and knows what tire to use and to boot how to conserve the tire! Go SCHATZ!!!!!!  

Better still,why don't Knoxville Raceway get together with MSD & buy 25 ignition systems for next years Nationals & put them in ALL 25 starters in the A Main!! What's fair for one is fair for ALL!!!

How about this..........Hes just that DAMN GOOD!!!!!!!!! Get it over folks, hes not cheating, hes just in a zone all by himself and cant be touched. I get tired of all the crying about Schatz winning. Hes a great driver, a very clean driver. Until someone knocks him off hes the man to beat. As they say, to be the man, you have to beat the man.

if a few drivers are using TC at any given track, eventually most will hear about it and if one or more of the drivers using it are winning, someone would say something. so either everyone is using it, no one is using it, or no one in the pits gives a shit.

when a team signs in, have them turn in their box.....put it in a pile and then go around and randomly hand them back out. if someone has a problem and has to change it and makes a hard charger move thru the field or wins, send the box in question out for testing (probably doesnt matter cause NO ONES box comes back illegal anyway) or have the track put the box in a "test" car and send it out on the track with a computer tied into the ignition to record the RPM fluctuation....use a device like a mychron that records and graphs RMP ranges from the time the motor fires till it shuts off and can be downloaded into a laptop. if someone is smart enought to be able to build and hide TC, there are 50 guys out there smart enough to be able to find it...IF they wanted to.

You know i have never been a big Schatz fan...but maybe i am now. Saturday night was an amazing drive and if he WAS using TC.... why would he have been in the "B" feature..... and he certainly wouldn't pass THAT many cars as to not make anybody suspicious.