R.E. Technologies Racing tunes up in time off

Memphis, TN- May 2, 2003- R.E. Technologies Racing drivers Donny Schatz and Tyler Walker took advantage of a lull in their USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown schedule to test and tune up for the up coming pavement events. The pair practiced with their new J&J chassis at Indianapolis Raceway Park on April 16th and Nazareth Speedway on April 21st.

Despite battling 30 mile per hour winds, Walker felt the test went well. "The more testing we do in the new J&Js , the better we will be. Anytime you have a new car, it takes time to work out what you need to do to them to make them faster."

"By noon, I was scratching my head over the track," said Schatz. "This is a tough place to get around, but our team kept on working on the car, changing chassis characteristics with shocks and other adjustments, which helped me get a better feel for the car."

Donny put 180 laps on his Parker Stores #115 while Tyler went 150 laps with Curb Records machine. "We threw many combinations at the J&J to see what it liked. We played with all four corners, spring combinations and a full load of fuel," said Team Manager Chris Santucci. "We also practiced qualifying runs and test runs."

Donny and Tyler's times improved as the day went on. "The track was pretty green when we got here," said Walker. "When we come back there should be some more grip and we should be able to pick up some more time."

If the high winds were trouble in Indiana, the weather was worse in Pennsylvania. The R.E. Technologies Racing team endured cold temperatures and rain in Nazareth. The team spent the morning laying down rubber on a track that had been washed clean by rains in the off-season. "I was out there in the morning sliding around everywhere, but as the day went on the track started taking more rubber and our times started picking up," stated Walker.

"We had competitive times for the conditions," said Santucci. "We changed motors in both cars after a test at IRP and ran them at Nazareth. Like IRP, we spent a lot of time trying new combinations."

Despite the conditions, Donny was happy with the track. "Nazareth was great. I felt very good after the test there. It is such a different track from anything I have run before and really tests all aspects of a driver." Tyler, who qualified 4th in 2001 at the one mile paved track, said his line around the track was coming back to him. "It really helped getting back out there and remembering the track, saying ok, I can drive it in this deep here or I have got to turn in a little bit sooner here."

Santucci says, overall, the tests went well. "We gathered a lot of data on our new cars and our drivers got valuable time behind the wheel."

GREAT HOUSEGUESTS

The R.E. Technologies Racing team paid a visit to O'Reilly World of Outlaws driver Randy Hannagan's shop on their way to Nazareth. "Randy opened his shop for us to change engines in our cars," said Chris Santucci. "This was a huge help to us as it rained the two days we were there and would have had to change motors in the hotel parking lot otherwise." Hannagan's WoO team visits the R.E. Technologies shop when they are in the Mid-South.

DONNY WINS WITH FAMILIAR FACES IN THE CROWD

With the weekend off, the R.E. Technologies Racing team watched their USAC driver win his first World of Outlaws preliminary feature at Eldora Speedway. Donny exchanged the lead with fellow USAC driver Brian Paulus twice during the race to claim the $5,000 first prize. This was Donny's second win of the season. Schatz's first was a WoO feature win at State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City.

HAVE WHEELS WILL DRIVE

While Donny was dominating in Eldora, his teammate Tyler Walker was down South running a stock car at Pensacola's Five Flags Speedway. "I was just having a blast out there," said Walker. "I just like getting in different cars. It is fun to drive the same car over and over, but I like the challenge of different types of racing. I hope I get more opportunities to experience different types of racing."

TURN UP THE RADIO

Donny and Tyler have been busy behind the microphone as well. Tyler appeared on USA Dirt Racing Report heard on www.rsbn.net at 9pm eastern on April 1st. Donny was a guest on In the Pits Radio on April 23rd. Tyler Walker is scheduled to appear on May 7th on In the Pits Radio heard on 1200 WAGE AM and on the web at www.wage.com. In the Pits Radio airs from 6-7pm eastern.

NEXT RACE

Indianapolis Raceway Park May 10th at 8:30pm. The race will be broadcast on Speed Channel, May 15 at 9pm eastern.

-retr-