Donny Schatz has described Tony Stewart letting him go following the Knoxville Nationals as a “kick below the belt.”

Schatz was let go and replaced with Kerry Madsen by Stewart on August 12th. In a press release Stewart stated, “Donny has been an incredible part of TSR for nearly two decades, he’s helped build this organization into what it is today. 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.”

He added, “The achievements we’ve accomplished together are something that I’ll always be proud of. But in the past few years we’ve weathered changes in the sport and our performance hasn’t been to the level that both Donny and I expect. We’re both competitors to our core and we both hold ourselves to a high standard of performance that we’ve struggled to obtain. Making a change now gives each of us the chance to reset and refocus before 2026.”

In an interview with Sprint Car Unlimited, Stewart reiterated he let Schatz go due to performance, “It was just performance. It had nothing to do with the Nationals. It’s just been multiple years of not going in the right direction, but I thought he did a really good job at the Nationals rebounding on Friday and Saturday and salvaging an 11th-place run out of it. So, I was proud of the weekend, but it’s that saying, ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.'”

He added, “We needed to change the direction. I read someone online saying I’m an asshole, and I could’ve let him finish out the season. Well, Donny never signed his contract this year, and we didn’t know if he was going to finish. There was a part with the Ford stuff that if we didn’t switch the motor deal over — Thank God, I ordered motors last year — and he had to run the Ford, he was going to quit. So the reason for the change is kind of the same thing as [Stewart-Haas Racing]. It give him time now to work on the rest of the season. He’ll get something. He’s way too good of a driver to not have a ride, but it gives him time to get something put together for next season instead of waiting until the bottom of the ninth. It also gives us the same opportunity.”

“But we had to try something,” Stewart shared. “We can’t just sit there and keep doing the same thing and think that it’s just magically going to get better. So, I felt like it was the right thing to do … to give Donny an opportunity to put something together. It’s not ideal by any means. None of it is, but there is no off-season in Sprint Car racing anymore. So, at some point, it had to happen.”

Schatz has now spoken about being let go telling Sprint Car Unlimited, “Look, this is the position I’m in. Not knowing this was coming right at this time — the Tuesday after the Nationals when we’re coming up to the Midwest — to me is really kind of a kick below the belt. Especially after the commitment and loyalty I’ve made to everything there.”

He also shared how he was let go, “Tony called me right at lunchtime to fire me.”

And he’s not happy about it, “I’m actually kind of pissed off I’m in [the position of not having a ride in the middle of the season], because I’ve been a loyal person, and I complete things to the end. For the first time in my career, I’m going to struggle and get through the whole season, regardless of where it’s at, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth in points. That’s now what I signed up for or expected, but it’s reality.”

Schatz reiterated, “It’s like a low blow … to not finish out the season. You don’t do that to your sponsors.”

However, he did share it is motivating him to perform better, “What it does change is my motivation. You have goals in anything you do, and once you win World of Outlaws champions, that’s what your goals are. But after this whole scenario, my goal is I’m not going to be beaten and not finish this season. It’s going to be almost impossible to do, but that’s my goal because I’m not a quitter.”

“I’m not happy to be in this position, and it is what it is,” he said. “I’m so thankful for all the people who have reached out. It’s kind of a bittersweet situation, but there’s so many great people and so many great cars and so many people who have offered everything under the sun. You almost feel bad telling anyone, ‘No.’ It’s really overwhelming. Unfortunately, you can only go one avenue, and although I’m trying to finish out the season, I’m trying to build towards 2026 at the same time. Right now, today, I don’t know that direction is.”

In a video post to Facebook, Schatz shared similar sentiments, “It felt like a gut punch not having that opportunity [to finish the season].”

NEXT: After Letting Donny Schatz Go, Tony Stewart Clarifies He Has No Plans To Shut Down Sprint Car Team