Donny Schatz, born August 10, 1977, in Fargo, North Dakota, is the son of Danny Christ Schatz, a sprint car driver himself in the 1970s. Schatz began racing in go-karts at age eleven and progressed through 358 sprint cars as a teenager at Red River Valley Speedway. He moved up to 410 sprint cars and joined the World of Outlaws as an eighteen-year-old, quickly establishing himself as a future star of the series.
The number 15 became Schatz's identifier on the WoO tour, a number carried through his most successful seasons and closely associated with his record-breaking championship run. Over the years, the machine ran under different primary sponsors but retained its identity as one of the sport's flagship entries.
Schatz claimed the World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year award in 1997, and recorded his first A-feature win in 1998. The #15 car's championship era began in earnest in 2006, when Schatz won the first of what would become ten WoO titles. He went on to win championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, making him only the second driver in series history to win the points championship four consecutive years, matching Steve Kinser's achievement. Since 2006, the car placed in the top two in points every single season, a remarkable streak of sustained excellence.
As of mid-2021, Schatz had accumulated 300 World of Outlaws wins, placing him third on the all-time wins list behind only Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell. By June 2021 that total stood at 315 victories.
The Knoxville Nationals, widely regarded as the most prestigious event in sprint car racing, served as a defining stage for the #15. Schatz won the Knoxville Nationals eleven times, in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2022. A particularly remarkable win came in 2013 when Schatz started from the 21st position and still claimed victory, setting the record for the deepest starting position from which a Knoxville Nationals winner had come.
Other prestigious victories include the Kings Royal six times (2007, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2023), multiple editions of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup (2006, 2007, and 2020), the Brad Doty Classic in 2013, 2016, and 2018, and the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway on six occasions (2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, and 2020). The car also claimed victory in the inaugural World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.
In 2008, Schatz joined Tony Stewart Racing, the team founded by NASCAR champion Tony Stewart. He continued to drive for the organization for eighteen years, a partnership that spanned the majority of his record-breaking title streak. The combination of Schatz's racecraft and the resources of Tony Stewart Racing made the #15 entry one of the most formidable in the paddock throughout the 2010s. Schatz departed the team on August 12, 2025.
The #15 program extended beyond American shores. Schatz raced in Australia and demonstrated his versatility on international dirt tracks. He won the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at Premier Speedway in Warrnambool, Victoria, in back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002. He was also runner-up in the World Series Sprintcars in the 1999/2000 and 2001/02 seasons.
The Donny Schatz #15 sprint car represents one of the most dominant single-car programs in the history of American open-wheel dirt racing. Ten World of Outlaws championships, eleven Knoxville Nationals victories, and over 300 series wins place it in a category alongside only a handful of machines in motorsport history. The car's sustained success over more than two decades made it the benchmark against which rival teams measured themselves throughout the modern era of the World of Outlaws.