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Tag: Johnny Sauter

  • Johnny Sauter Looking To Rebound At Bristol

    Johnny Sauter Looking To Rebound At Bristol

    Since the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway back in June when Johnny Sauter finished second, the GMS Racing driver has been up and down in the past four races. At Kentucky Speedway, he finished ninth, while he finished 23rd at Eldora Speedway. He had a solid run at Pocono Raceway where he finished fifth. However, Sauter’s points lead started to slip after Eldora. He eventually lost the lead at the Pocono race weekend due to Christopher Bell winning the race and taking the points lead. Bell is currently the leader by 37.

    Sauter had a disappointing recent outing at Michigan International Speedway, where he finished 18th due to a flat tire late in the going and was unable to make up any of the ground. But if he wants to turn his season around, Bristol Motor Speedway just might be the place on Wednesday night. Sauter made his Bristol Truck Series debut back in 2003 driving for Christopher Beckington, where he started 23rd and finished 25th.

    Sauter has competed at Bristol in the Truck Series full time at Bristol since 2009. Including that start in 2003, he has four top fives and five top 10 finishes, with a best finish of second coming in 2011. Since 2013, Sauter upped his game as his finishes came inside the top 10. He’s looking to notch that elusive win at Bristol and take back the point lead.

    “Bristol (Motor Speedway) is one of those tracks that I look forward to every year,” Sauter said. “I’ve never won there but that style of driving and the work that goes into these short track races is what I love. There’s always racing going on no matter where you’re running in the field and it really is a driver’s track. You can be completely comfortable with your truck and how it gets through the corners but if you aren’t completely focused on your job as a driver, on making passes and avoiding mistakes then you can get caught up in something really quick.”

  • Four Takeaways From Saturday’s Truck Race At Michigan

    Four Takeaways From Saturday’s Truck Race At Michigan

    1. Darrell Wallace Jr. gets a breakthrough win at Michigan – 2017 has been an up and down year for Wallace Jr. After the XFINITY race at Pocono, the No. 6 XFINITY team was shut down due to lack of funding. However, he’s been filling in rides since then. He’s raced four races for Aric Almirola when he was injured from Pocono to Kentucky with a best finish of 11th at Kentucky. Wallace Jr. then received an opportunity to drive for MDM Motorsports at Michigan. He was able to make the most of it scoring his sixth career win in the Truck Series.
    2. Christopher Bell extends points lead – Bell continues his strong season by finishing second in Saturday’s race, giving him his ninth top five of the year and extending his points lead to 37. He’ll head to Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday night looking for his fifth win of the season.
    3. Johnny Sauter has a rough day at Michigan – Sauter had a rough outing in this past weekend’s race. However, on the bright side, he was able to score some playoff points by finishing fifth in Stage 1. Problems continued as Sauter had to pit for a flat tire, thus ending his shot for a second win in 2017. He wound up finishing 18th and losing more points to Christopher Bell. Sauter will have to turn his season around at Bristol this Wednesday if he wants to retake the points lead from Bell.
    4. Three races remain until the playoffs – Three races, three wild cards until the 2017 playoffs begin at Loudon in September. This week the drivers will head to Bristol, then to Canada after a couple of weeks off with the final race at Chicago before the playoffs start. Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Kaz Grala are all locked in by securing wins throughout the season. However, the door is wide open after fifth as Chase Briscoe, Ryan Truex and Ben Rhodes sit on the bubble. Also, Grant Enfinger, Noah Gragson, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley are currently out at the moment. The season has provided some exciting and thrilling action so we could see three new winners in the next three races.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Pocono

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Pocono

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the Pocono Mountains this week for the annual running of the Overton’s 150 at Pocono Raceway. Currently, there are 30 trucks on the preliminary entry list. Here’s a look at who to watch for this week at Pocono.

    1. Kyle Busch – Busch will no doubt be a factor like he always is in any race he’s entered in. In 2017 Busch has two wins in the Truck Series. In the last five races, Busch has only competed in the 2015 race, scoring a win. In the other only start that came in 2011, he finished second to race winner Kevin Harvick.
    2. Matt Crafton – Crafton is carrying momentum after his breakthrough win at Eldora. At Pocono, he has two top fives and four top 10s. However, he also has one DNF that came in 2015. His average finish is 11.0. Crafton just may go two for two this week and start his championship run.
    3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter, just like Crafton, has the same career stats at Pocono. Both of them have competed in all seven races dating back to 2010. After a rough race at Eldora, Sauter needs a win as his championship points lead has shrunk to seven over Christopher Bell. A win for him would give him a little cushion with the points lead.
    4. Christopher Bell – In his only start at Pocono that came in 2016, Bell finished in 10th place. Bell is also carrying some momentum as he continues to chop into Sauter’s points lead. After a somewhat disappointing ninth place at Eldora last Wednesday, he is looking for his fourth win of the 2017 season.
    5. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes has only one start that came last year as well, in which, he finished 11th. After wrecking at Eldora, Rhodes is looking for a strong finish or perhaps that breakthrough win, that he has been looking for since falling short at Kansas.

    There are two practices for the Truck Series that take place beginning Friday at noon with the final practice at  2 p.m. ET. Qualifying will be held Saturday morning at 10 a.m. followed by the Overton’s 150 at noon ET on FOX and MRN Radio.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Kentucky

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Kentucky

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action this week after a weekend off. It will be the 10th race of the season for the Truck Series, just six races before the playoffs begin.

    There are 34 entries on the preliminary list for Thursday night’s truck race. In the past five races at Kentucky Speedway, there have been five different winners. Only two of those winners are entered in the race, Matt Crafton and Kyle Busch. Here are some drivers to keep an eye on for tomorrow night’s race.

    1. Kyle Busch – You better believe that whenever Kyle Busch is entered in any race, he’ll have an automatic shot to win. In the past five races, Kyle has raced in three of them with one win and two top fives. However, in his previous outing at Kentucky, Busch crashed out on lap 56, ending his night early.
    2. Matt Crafton – Crafton has had a sour season so far with only two top five and five top 10 finishes in 2017. At Kentucky, he is the highest active driver stat wise. In five races, Crafton has one win plus one top five and one top 10 finish and has led 43 laps. Crafton’s turning point could take place at Kentucky.
    3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter has been decent at Kentucky. He has one top five and three top 10 finishes at Kentucky. Sauter has been strong this season and is looking to continue building his momentum for a chase at the championship.
    4. Christopher Bell – In two races, Bell has one top five and one top 10 finish. With two wins already this season, he’ll be looking to secure a third win as he has no career wins at Kentucky.
    5. John Hunter Nemechek- Nemechek has been on a roll in the past two races, securing two consecutive wins. Nemechek’s track record at Kentucky has not been too shabby with one top five and one top 10 finish. Nemechek has a best finish of second which came in the 2016 race.Qualifying is slated for 5 p.m. ET Thursday, while the race is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, both on FS1.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rankings – Iowa

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rankings – Iowa

    Iowa Speedway was the site for the ninth race of the 2017 season. The race featured a variety of pit strategies and a back to back winner.

    1. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek started the race in the fifth position, but quickly fell back in the early going. In Stage 1, he finished in the seventh position. Stage 2 was a better turnout for Nemechek, however, as he worked his way up and finished third. When a late race caution fell, the race leader Sauter stayed out, when the rest of the field, including Nemechek, pitted. Nemechek took four tires on the last pit stop. It wasn’t until six laps to go when he made the pass for the win on Sauter. He would go on to win his second race of the year and it was the first time he went back to back.

    “That’s definitely special,” Nemechek said. “All year, we felt really good about this whole stretch, Gateway, Iowa and Kentucky. So hopefully, we can go to Kentucky and make it three in a row.” Nemechek led once for six laps.

    2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter had the truck to beat but in this case he was beaten on a final restart with six laps remaining. After starting fourth, Sauter stayed in the top five for Stage 1 by finishing third. In Stage 2, however, Sauter dominated by taking the lead on Lap 116 and went on to win the second stage. Although, when the late race caution came out with 13 to go, Sauter and his team elected to stay out. This would be costly as he would lose the lead with six to go and finish second.

    “Yeah, you know, obviously, tires prevail here, but we made a great call,” Sauter said. Chase (Briscoe) actually took me to school there. That kid is a hell of a wheelman.”

    Sauter continues to lead the point standings by 42 points over Christopher Bell.

    3. Brandon Jones – Jones was quiet all night until late in the going. It wasn’t until Stage 2, where he finished 10th. Along with the rest of the field, Jones pitted late and took fresher tires. He would rally to finish third, giving him his first top-five of the year.

    “I feel like our Soleus Air Chevy was a strong truck from the drop of the green flag tonight,” Jones said. “Track position was key the whole race, and it got to where you really couldn’t pass anyone once the field strung out. Shane Huffman made a great call to take four tires there with a handful laps left and that was really the difference that let us get up there in the mix. If we would’ve had just a few more laps, I think we definitely could’ve had something for them.”

    4. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger had another decent run this season. He started in the 10th position, stayed around for Stage 1 by finishing ninth. In Stage 2, Enfinger fell outside the top 10. Toward the end of Stage 3, it brought some controversy between Thorsport Racing teammates. Enfinger had accidentally bumped Matt Crafton in Turn 4, thus sending Crafton hard into the wall and ending his night. However, Enfinger went on to finish a solid fourth, but not the best fourth place finish.

    “Yeah I mean, I’m just embarrassed,” Enfinger said. “I was going for the bottom and I thought he (Matt Crafton) was going to go in the middle, and I just came down, it was completely my fault. I mean I just ran him over. I feel terrible.”

    5. Christopher Bell – Bell was a contender throughout most of the night. He would go on to sweep Stage 1. Bell led early in Stage 2, before handing the lead over to Johnny Sauter on Lap 116. Bell went on to finish fourth in Stage 2. After leading early in the race, Bell had to settle for a fifth place finish.

    “We had really fast Toyota Tundra, man”, Bell said. “Out front, it was just lights out- we were really, really good and on the short run too, but the long run was where we excelled. I don’t know man,” Bell continued, “It’s so tough to pass whenever it’s on the bottom and, finally, the top came in and then we could finally start passing guys, but still it’d take way too long to pass them and then- but the yellow came out and that gave us a shot at it and just didn’t work out.”

    Bell continues to be second in the point standings 42 points behind Sauter.

    The race featured four cautions for 34 laps, with five leaders among six lead changes.There is no NASCAR Camping World Truck Series action next weekend as the series is off, but the action returns to Kentucky Speedway Thursday, July 6.

  • Johnny Sauter Comes Up One Spot Short At Iowa

    Johnny Sauter Comes Up One Spot Short At Iowa

    Johnny Sauter was looking for his second win of the year and it looked liked it might come in Iowa.

    After qualifying fourth, Sauter was working his way up quietly. When Stage 1 ended, Sauter wound up in the third position.

    The turning point in the race came during Stage 2. When a caution came out on Lap 108 for a spin on the backstretch, there were varying pit strategies. Eventual race winner, Bell, stayed out, while the rest of the field, including Sauter, pitted.

    After a restart on Lap 113, Bell, on old tires, slipped back, and this saw Sauter take the lead on Lap 116. A caution came out late in the stage, thus ending the race under yellow conditions, which gave Sauter the Stage 2 win.

    In Stage 3, another caution flew with 15 laps to go. It was a carbon-copy of what happened in Stage 1. Sauter was the only driver that stayed out during the final round of pit stops. With the late race restart that came with seven laps to go, Sauter tried holding off the field on old tires. He did so for one lap, then held on to finish in the second position.

    “Yeah, you know, obviously, tires prevail here, but we made the call,” Sauter said. “Chase (Briscoe) actually took me to school there. That kid is a hell of a wheelman.”

    “Great day for GMS and our Allegiant Travel Chevy,” Sauter said. “We probably should’ve had tires there and I should’ve been communicating better with my spotter. All in all, a great day. We just had a good truck, just not good enough.”

    Sauter continues to lead the championship point standings forty-two points over Christopher Bell.

     

  • John Hunter Nemechek Goes Back To Back In 2017

    John Hunter Nemechek Goes Back To Back In 2017

    John Hunter Nemechek won the M&MS 200 at Iowa Speedway Friday night, capturing his second straight victory.

    Noah Gragson set the pole in qualifying, alongside him was Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Christopher Bell, who has won twice this season. Sixty laps each made up Stages 1 and 2, while 80 laps made up the final laps.

    When Stage 1 began, Gragson led early, but it was Bell who took the lead on Lap 17 and never looked back. Bell would go on to win the first stage, which was incident free.

    Stage 2 took place on lap 69; Bell and Chase Briscoe were on the front row after pit stops. While it looked like the stage would remain incident free once again, problems began on Lap 95 for Ben Rhodes, who had a vibration and had to pit from fifth place. The second caution came out on Lap 108 when Mike Senica spun off Turn 2.

    This caution brought many varying pit strategies. The race leader Bell stayed out while the rest of the field pitted.

    Stage 2 went back to green on Lap 113 and Johnny Sauter took the lead away from Bell three laps later. Toward the end of the stage, Kaz Grala and Cody Coughlin made contact on the backstretch to bring out another caution. Rhodes was also involved, getting a flat tire due to contact. NASCAR made the decision to end the stage under caution, to allow clean up due to extensive fluid laid down the track. Sauter ended up winning the second stage.

    Stage 3 got underway with 68 laps to go. Sauter was setting the pace until Briscoe took the lead with 17 laps to go. It looked like the race was going to remain green but Matt Crafton wrecked and hit the wall hard in Turns 3 and 4, due to a bump by his teammate Grant Enfinger. Under this caution, we saw the race-winning call. Sauter stayed out, while others pitted. This also saw eventual race winner, Nemechek, take four tires and restart in the fourth position.

    With seven to go for the restart, Sauter was on old tires as Briscoe made a pass for the lead and held on for one lap. Nemechek made the winning pass with six to go on the backstretch. When he took the checkered flag, there was a wreck involving Harrison Burton and Justin Haley. Both drivers were uninjured.

    “That’s definitely special,” Nemechek said. “All year, we felt really good about this whole stretch, Gateway, Iowa and Kentucky. So hopefully, we can go to Kentucky and make it three in a row.”

    “I can’t say enough,” Nemechek said. “Thank you to all my guys. They’re so determined. They work as many hours as needed. This is fun getting to victory lane.”

    Sauter, Brandon Jones, Enfinger and Bell rounded out the top five. Current Truck Series champion Sauter is the points leader by 42 over second place Bell.

    This was Nemechek’s second win of the year and his fifth career win. He led once for six laps.

    There were five leaders among six lead changes, with four cautions for 34 laps.

    Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes next weekend off, before heading to Kentucky Speedway Thursday, July 6.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Iowa-NCWTS-result-6-23-17T1709_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Iowa NCWTS result 6-23-17T1709_UNOFFRES”]

     

     

  • Camping World Truck Series Preview – Iowa

    Camping World Truck Series Preview – Iowa

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Iowa Speedway this Friday night for race number nine of the 2017 season.

    Currently, there are 34 trucks on the preliminary entry list. In the last five races, there have been three different winners. Erik Jones, who is not entered, is the only repeat winner with victories in 2014 and 2015.

    Here are some of the drivers to keep an eye on during Friday night’s M&M’s 200.

    Matt Crafton – Crafton has one win at Iowa which came in 2011. However, in the last three races at Iowa, he has two top fives and three top 10 finishes, with 33 laps led. Crafton ranks number one among active drivers at Iowa Speedway. He has not won yet this season but looks to turn that around at Iowa.

    John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek is coming off his first win of the season last week. In the last three races at Iowa, Nemechek has one top 10 and one pole, along with 53 laps led. His average finish 15.0, but a win carries momentum into the next race. Keep an eye on Nemechek once again this week.

    Christopher Bell – Bell is having a strong season so far. In Iowa, he has competed in the last two races with a finish of ninth or better. He has one top five and two top ten finishes. Bell is always a threat week in and week out.

    Johnny Sauter – Sauter has been decent in his recent Iowa outings. In the past five races, he has one top five and two top finishes. In his championship season last year, Sauter finished 10th in the 2016 race. Sauter might just sneak a win out on Friday night.

    Ben Rhodes – Rhodes only has one start at Iowa coming in 2016, earning a fourth place finish.

    Drivers To Watch:

    Ryan Truex -Truex has been strong as of late. This season he has placed two top fives and six top 10 finishes, although, Truex has never competed in the Truck Series at Iowa.

    Brandon Jones – Jones is competing in the Truck Series once again this weekend. He has competed in two races at Iowa with the best finish of second in 2015.

    Chase Briscoe – Briscoe has been oh so close this season regarding victory lane. The driver of the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing F-150 has finished second in the last two races. In 2016, Briscoe competed at Iowa in the ARCA Racing Series and notched a win at the track.

    Noah Gragson – Iowa might be a breakthrough point for Gragson. During his K&N Pro Series days, Gragson has a finish of third, second and sixth, respectively.

    Coverage starts on Friday morning with the first of two practices beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. Qualifying is slated for 6:05 p.m. ET Friday evening. Race coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. on FS1 and the Motor Racing Network with the green flag scheduled for 8:47 p.m.

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Gateway

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Gateway

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continues this week as it heads to Gateway Motorsports Park. There are currently 28 trucks on the preliminary entry list.

    Since its return in 2014, there have been three different winners at Gateway. Those include Darrell Wallace Jr., Cole Custer and Christopher Bell.

    Christopher Bell – In last year’s race, Bell led 38 laps en route to victory. However, his victory was overshadowed by a fight between John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher. Bell looks to repeat this year and win his second consecutive race this year. He is second in the points standings, 40 points behind Johnny Sauter.

    Matt Crafton – Crafton has the most experience of any active driver at Gateway. In 13 races at Gateway, Crafton has seven top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth in 2010. In recent years, however, Crafton has a finish of  21st or worse with three DNFs in the last three races.

    Kaz Grala – Grala has one start at Gateway and has one top-10 finish. Grala hasn’t won since Daytona and is looking to secure his second victory.

    Johnny Sauter – Never count out the current points leader, Sauter, at any racetrack. Sauter has five starts, five top-fives, five top-1o finishes, and has led 33 laps total.

    John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek has made three starts at this racetrack. In the past two races, though, Nemechek has a finish of sixth or better. Expect Nemechek to be in contention on Saturday night.

    Ben Rhodes – In last year’s race, Rhodes finished second to Christopher Bell after starting on the pole. Rhodes is continuing his momentum on a good year with three top fives and four top 10s this season. He his still looking for the first win of his career.

    Side note – In the last three races, the winner has come from the top-10 starting spot. With that said, qualifying is important if you want a shot at the win.

    It will be an all-day event at Gateway Motorsports Park. There will be two practice sessions, qualifying at 5:45 p.m, ET and the green flag is scheduled for 8:48 p.m. ET Saturday night on FS1.

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview Texas – Spring

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview Texas – Spring

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the Lone-Star state on Friday night for the seventh race of the season. There are 28 entries on the preliminary entry list this week.

    Here are the ones to watch in tomorrow night’s winstaronlinegaming.com 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway.

    In the last five spring races at Texas, there have been three different winners with Matt Crafton being the only repeat winner entered.

    Matt Crafton – Crafton has posted two wins (2014, 2015) and five top-five finishes in the spring races at Texas. Considering his past performance at this track, look for another strong run Friday night.

    Christopher Bell – In his only start at Texas coming last year, Bell suffered a blown engine and was credited with a last-place finish. Bell is looking for redemption at Texas and that could come tomorrow night. Bell has gotten off to a good start, posting the fastest speed in the first Truck Series practice Thursday evening.

    John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek was strong in last year’s spring race, posting a seventh place finish. However, when his father, Joe Nemechek drove the truck in 2015 and 2014, he posted one top-1o and one top-five finish. The NEMCO Motorsports stable is expected to have another decent finish at Texas.

    Johnny Sauter – Sauter, the current Trick Series points leader, is coming off last week’s victory with a head of momentum. In June of 2012, Sauter won the spring race giving him three top-five and five top-1o finishes in the last five spring races. Expect him to be a strong contender at Texas on Friday.

    Ben Rhodes – Rhodes is still searching for his first career win. He came close at Kansas earlier this season, which was a 1.5-mile track, the same as Texas. In the spring of 2016 at Texas, Rhodes posted an 11th place finish, thus giving him one top-15 finish.

    Qualifying is slated for Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET. It will not be televised but you can follow along here. The green flag is expected to drop for the winstaronlinegaming.com 400  at 8:19 p.m. and will be broadcast on FS1.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Texas-Truck-Series-Entry-List-June-2017-T1707_ENTNUM.pdf” title=”Texas Truck Series Entry List June 2017 T1707_ENTNUM”]