One of the most successful partnerships in Sprint Car history has officially come to a close. Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing (TSR) have parted ways after more than 17 seasons together in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, marking the end of a chapter that helped redefine the sport’s modern era.

The Fargo, North Dakota native first teamed up with three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in 2008, and from the start, the pairing proved lethal. They opened their debut season with back-to-back All Star Circuit of Champions wins at Volusia Speedway Park. Schatz’s first World of Outlaws victory in TSR colors came on May 3, 2008, at the iconic Knoxville Raceway. By the end of that year, the duo had collected 18 Series victories and their first championship together.

It was only the beginning. Over the next decade and a half, Schatz and TSR amassed an astonishing résumé:

Those 234 triumphs accounted for the bulk of Schatz’s career total of 316, placing him and the TSR crew as the second-winningest driver/team combination in Series history—trailing only the legendary Steve Kinser and Karl Kinser pairing. The pinnacle came in 2015 when Schatz captured 31 wins and secured the championship by more than 500 points. Their final victory together came on October 12, 2024, at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania.

“Donny has been an incredible part of TSR for nearly two decades; he’s helped build this organization into what it is today,” Stewart said in a team statement. “We’ve had a driver/team owner relationship that has gone beyond that partnership; he’s become part of my extended family through the years, and I have the utmost respect for him and what his career represents – a generational driving talent.”

In 2025, Schatz had already posted eight top fives and 26 top 10s in 47 World of Outlaws starts before the announcement.

With the departure, TSR has named Kerry Madsen as the new driver of the No. 15 for the remainder of the 2025 campaign—except for next weekend in North Dakota, where Madsen has a prior commitment. The team will name a temporary replacement for that event at a later date.

Madsen, nicknamed “The Madman,” is no stranger to the TSR operation. In 2021, he piloted Stewart’s No. 14 to three World of Outlaws victories and two All Star wins. His return to TSR will begin this weekend with races at Ogilvie Raceway in Minnesota (Aug. 15) and Jackson Motorplex (Aug. 16).

The Schatz–TSR breakup leaves a significant void in the sport’s landscape, ending a run that may never be matched in dominance, consistency, and championship pedigree.