World of Outlaws Champion Announces his NASCAR Debut with David Gilliland Racing

Published 06/05/2021, 1:17 PM EDT

Next month, the NASCAR Truck Series is going to visit the Knoxville Raceway for the first time. It is also worth noting that there will be a new face in the Truck Series paddock. Apparently, Sprint car champion Donny Schatz is making his NASCAR debut at the dirt track.

The 10-time World of Outlaws champion is teaming up with David Gilliland Racing at the dirt track. Speaking of which, this could not have been a more fitting venue for his NASCAR debut. Suffice to say, he stands a good chance of a decent finish at the track due to his pedigree on the dirt, with 27 career wins at Knoxville.

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“I’ve had the opportunity to meet David and his organisation’s record speaks for itself,” said the 43-year-old. “DGR has a great group of people working with their team and I’m looking forward to making my debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with them at Knoxville Raceway in July.”

Schatz is thrilled to make his NASCAR debut on familiar territory

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The driver acknowledged that he is glad that his first NASCAR race is on the dirt surface. This is because it perfectly ties into his own line of work in the World of Outlaws arena. DGR co-owner David Gilliland praised the driver and dubbed him a legend in the dirt car world. He also acknowledged that Donny Schatz boasts of an incredible track record at Knoxville in the World of Outlaws.

He said, “His experience level and knowledge of dirt track racing and Knoxville Raceway will make him a great addition to the team for the first ever truck race there. We are super excited to welcome him aboard.”

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For now though, the Truck Series drivers have some respite before the action resumes on June 12th. On that occasion, the Truck Series drivers make landfall at the Texas Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, the Cup Series heads to the Sonoma Raceway and the Xfinity Series drivers are at Mid-Ohio.

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.