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Tag: Johnny Sauter

  • Driver Analysis: Johnny Sauter

    Driver Analysis: Johnny Sauter

    The 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter was looking to back up his reign in 2017 and go for two consecutive championships. It would have been the first time since Matt Crafton did it in 2013 and 2014.

    The season began with Sauter being involved in the last lap melee at Daytona which saw him place 16th in the season opener. He had a string of second place finishes at Martinsville, Kansas and Charlotte. Then, the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevy driver collected his first win of the season at Dover International Speedway. It was his 14th career win and his first since Martinsville of last year. With this win, Sauter claimed a playoff spot early in the 2017 season.

    “I can’t say enough about the way this season has started and the work that Joe (Shear, Jr., crew chief), the 21 team and everyone at GMS have put in,” Sauter said. “The last four races I’ve sat here and talked about how good things have been and how I felt a win was coming, but when it actually happens there is a bit of weight taken off our shoulders. I’m happy to finally get a win here, I’ve done pretty good here over the years, but this is definitely a track I’ve always wanted to win at. It’s not an easy place to do that so it feels like a big accomplishment.”

    Sauter continued to have solid finishes throughout the season until Eldora, where he started 14th and finished 23rd due to a spin and radiator problems. It was a tough outing for the 39-year-old.

    “I’m not a dirt racer in any sense of the word, so the best I could hope for was to survive and get a decent finish, but unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be one of those races for us,” he said. “The Allegiant team did an amazing job repairing the truck after the wreck in practice and I thought, with the spin early on in the race, that we’d still be okay. The guys did a great job switching out the radiator as fast as they did, just wish I could have had a shot at a good finish there at the end. It was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever felt going into Eldora, and Joe (Shear, Jr., crew chief) and the team showed we’re making progress everywhere, so I’ve got nothing to hang my head about.”

    It was Sauter’s worst finish of the season in 2017. He and the GMS Racing team put that disappointing finish behind them by winning at Chicago, the final race of the season before the Playoffs began. Throughout the Round of 8 and 6, he had finishes of ninth at Loudon and 10th at Chicago. His only finish outside the top 10 occurred at Talladega where he placed 12th.

    After the 12th place finish at Talladega, Sauter placed third at Martinsville and won back to back at Fort Worth and Phoenix. With those wins in the Round of 6, he clinched a spot in the Championship 4 for the second time in his career. The win at Phoenix did not come easy, however, for Sauter.

    “We struggled during qualifying but once they dropped the green flag we had pretty good speed in our ISM Connect Chevy,” he said. “Track position is so important here and we were just in the right place at the right time at the end of the race. A lot of red flags there at the end but it was good for me to just be able to sit there and gather my thoughts and think through how I wanted to handle those last restarts and those last two were perfect as far as I’m concerned. This is a team effort. We’ve been in position to win at least seven races this year and this is our fourth so we’re getting hot at the right time.”

    On the day of the championship race at Homestead, Sauter and GMS Racing announced that he would return next year to the No. 21 Chevy.

    “I can’t thank the Gallagher family and Mike Beam enough for the opportunity they’ve given me the last two years,” Sauter said. “To be able to compete at this level, where you know you could win any given weekend, is incredible and I’m excited to be able to continue with the No. 21 team next year.”

    With the announcement behind him, it was time for him and the GMS Racing team to focus on what they set out to do at the beginning of the year, winning the championship. But qualifying did not go as well to plan for Sauter, as he would place 11th, third out of the four playoff drivers. With not a so great qualifying position, he worked his way up just a tad and finished eighth in Stage 1. In Stage 2, Sauter had a much better finishing position of fifth. Throughout the race, however, he ran as low as 14th and as high as third. He never could challenge that much for the lead, and when the race was over, Sauer finished third, one spot short of collecting his second consecutive championship.

    “We started the race way too free, the loosest I’ve been in I don’t know how long,” Sauter said. “We made some good adjustments on the first stop, but it just eventually went away on me and was still way too free. I could never commit to the top, I’d have to drive in the corner shallow. I thought we had a little bit for the 4 toward the end but I just couldn’t touch the throttle on corner exit. We gave it everything we had, but I guess that’s what you get when it comes down to one race like this. I’m proud of everyone’s effort at GMS Racing, we did a good job, we’ve just got a lot of work to do.”

    2017 marked his 14th year competing in the Truck Series for the 2016 champion. Stat wise, it was a great one for Sauter, despite falling one position short of the championship. He had four wins (Dover, Chicago, Fort Worth and Phoenix), 13 top fives and 19 top 10 finishes, including an average start of 5.2 and an average finish of 6.3 along with 455 laps led.

    It will be interesting to see what the 2018 season will bring for Johnny Sauter as he will be competing in his 15th season and searching for his second championship.

    For more information on Johnny Sauter, follow him Twitter @JohnnySauter and for team information @GMSRacingLLC.

     

  • Four Takeaways From The Ford Ecoboost 200 At Homestead-Miami

    Four Takeaways From The Ford Ecoboost 200 At Homestead-Miami

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series held its last race of the year this past Friday night in Southern Florida. As the sun set and nighttime fell, the action only intensified as the 2017 season neared its end. After the checkered flag flew, here are four takeaways from the championship event.

    1. Christopher Bell Earns Championship – In his second full year, Christopher Bell finally earned the championship after finishing second. He ended the season with five wins, 15 top fives and 21 top 10 finishes, with five pole awards. That was enough to earn him a championship. It would not be surprising if he challenges for the XFINITY Series championship in 2018, let alone win it all. After all, Bell has one win in eight starts this year in that series, along with three top fives and five top 10 finishes.
    2. Veterans Still Dominate in Series – In a year of new stars and rookies, veterans and champions, such as Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter were still dominant and age was no factor. Crafton qualified for the playoffs with a win on the dirt at Eldora and Sauter early at Dover. Sauter got in the Championship 4 for the second consecutive year after winning at Texas and Crafton got in on points. The two finished third and sixth, respectively, in the final race of the year. Crafton ended with one win, five top fives and 16 top 10 finishes, while Sauter ended with four wins, 13 top fives and 19 top 10 finishes. It just goes to show that veterans still can dominate the series and age is only a number.
    3. Grant Enfinger and Justin Haley Earn Top 10 Finishes – When it’s the final race of the year, racecar drivers like to end it on a high note. Enfinger and Haley did just that by finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. Both of them finished in the top 10 in Stage 1, while Haley was the only one to finish in the top 10 in Stage 2. At the end of the day, the scoring loop showed them in the top 10. This was Haley’s 12th top 10 of the year and Enfinger’s 15th top 10 of the year.
    4. Exciting Playoffs – The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs might go down as one of the most exciting in its series history. Throughout the eight race round, we saw six different winners including an upset at Talladega by Parker Kligerman, which was very exciting for the fans to watch. Sauter was the only repeat winner after victories at Texas and Phoenix. Bell won at the opening round in Loudon but carried through with points and stage wins. The season, as always, ended in the bright Florida sun and showed a new champion, and a first-time race winner. The 2017 season, no doubt, was most likely one of the most exciting seasons yet for the Camping World Truck Series.
  • Johnny Sauter Falls One Spot Short In Search Of Consecutive Titles, Re-Signs With GMS Racing

    Johnny Sauter Falls One Spot Short In Search Of Consecutive Titles, Re-Signs With GMS Racing

    The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season has been a great one for 2016 champion Johnny Sauter but he fell one spot short of going back-to-back at the Homestead season finale.

    Prior to getting to the Championship 4, Sauter advanced to the Playoffs with a win at Dover. He continued on a hot streak by placing in the top five and 10. Despite finishes of 23rd at Eldora and 18th at Michigan, Sauter qualified for the Playoffs and even won at Chicago before they started.

    The wins at Texas and Phoenix were good enough to get him a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami for the second consecutive year.

    Sauter qualified a somewhat uncharacteristic 11th for the season finale. Throughout the race, he ran as high as third and as low as 14th and ran fifth mid-race. Sauter, placed eighth and fifth in both stages. When the race was all said and done, he placed fourth but it wasn’t enough for him to go back-to-back as Christopher Bell finished one spot ahead of him to win the 2017 series title.

    With the 2017 season over for Sauter, he will end the year with four wins, 13 top fives and 19 top 10 finishes, with 455 laps led.

    “We started the race way too free,” Sauter said. “We made some good adjustments for the first stop with the ISM Connect Chevy. The guys (crew) did a good job and I had a little better fire off speed on the next restart. Eventually, it would (truck) just go away on me and just die. You know, just way too free, especially corner exit which is crazy but I could never commit to the top. I would have to drive in straight and shallow in the corners because it was so free, and I could make really good time doing that by using a little brake and hard throttling it up off the corner.”

    “At one point with 25 or 30 (laps) to go, we were running quicker than the 4 (Christopher Bell) and then, I just didn’t have anything left. I could not touch the throttle off corner exit, but we gave them all we had and when it comes down to one race like this that’s what you got. We just needed to be one spot better, I guess.”

    Despite not going back-to-back in the Championship 4, Sauter’s 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season is set, as he is expected to be back with GMS Racing.

    “I can’t thank the Gallagher family and Mike Beam enough for the opportunity they’ve given me the last two years,” Sauter said. “To be able to compete at this level, where you know you could win any given weekend, is incredible and I’m excited to be able to continue with the No. 21 team next year.”

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Championship Edition-Homestead-Miami

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Championship Edition-Homestead-Miami

    The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series concludes Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. There will be four drivers competing for the championship including Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, Christopher Bell and Austin Cindric. Three of the four will be returning to the Championship 4 for a second consecutive year. Here’s a look on this special championship preview edition on how these championship drivers will fare at the final race of the year.

      1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter will be strong all night at Homestead. In the past five races, he has finished inside the top 10, with the exception of 2013 where he finished 16th. Sauter only has six laps led with an average start of 11.6 and an average finish of 8.4. In last year’s race, he started 19th but worked his way up all night toward the top 10. By Lap 40, he was placed ninth and then advanced to third on Lap 120, which was good enough for him to claim his first ever career Truck Series championship.
      2. Matt Crafton – If there is a veteran driver that will win the championship, it’s Crafton. He is already a two-time champion and is looking for his third. One year, Crafton even finished the race with his truck all torn up and still became champion. He has one win (2015), one top five and three top 10 finishes, with an average start of 5.6 and 10.0 for an average finish, with 115 laps led. Crafton let the championship slip away last year after Sauter passed him late in the going and never could get him back. He eventually finished seventh last year to finish second in the championship. Should Crafton win his third championship, he will be high on the list with Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague. That would be quite an accomplishment for the Tulare, California driver.
      3. Christopher Bell – Bell only has two previous starts at Homestead. In his debut, he finished 25th after running out of fuel in the late going. Last year, Bell finished eighth after starting eighth to wind up third in the championship point standings. He will have to pick up his average finish as it’s 16.5 and only five laps led. He ran as low as 14th and as high as fourth. Practice time tomorrow will help get the No. 4 JBL Tundra dialed in for the final race of the season.
      4. Austin Cindric – Cindric is one of the few that does not have experience at Homestead-Miami as he will be making his first career start tomorrow night. Practice time will be critical for the Draw Tite F-150 Ford. However, he could surprise everyone as the unexpected driver to win the 2017 championship.

    Qualifying will be critical at the 1.5-mile track. In the past five races, the winners have come from the top 10, with the exception of Kyle Busch who won the race after starting 12th. In the last two races, however, the winners have started and won from the pole. The lowest a champion has ever started was 19th, which was set by last year’s champion Johnny Sauter.

    This will be an all-day event as there will be two practices in the morning at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, both on FS1. Qualifying is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

    The Ford Ecoboost 200 coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with the green flag scheduled for 8:49 p.m. ET all on FS1 and MRN Radio.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Phoenix

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Phoenix

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came to the Arizona desert last Friday night to settle the Championship 4. As always, the truck series action did not disappoint. Here’s a look at who topped the top five power rankings this week.

    1. Johnny Sauter – When there is a truck race, you can always expect Sauter to be up front and challenging for the win, however, it came with a little luck. In both stages, he placed sixth, but his luck turned around when the two leaders had contact and were involved in a racing incident. Sauter did not take the lead until Lap 146 and held off a hard-charging John Hunter Nemechek, scoring back to back wins.
    2. John Hunter Nemechek – Could have, would have, should have, was the title for Nemechek on Friday night. He started sixth and stayed in the top 10 for both stages, placing fourth and seventh, respectively. Like Sauter, however, he got a little bit of luck in the remaining laps and tried to challenge for the win late but unfortunately came up one spot short.
    3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen continued his 2017 success by coming home sixth at Phoenix this past weekend. Even though he did not place in the top 10 in Stage 1, Friesen placed 10th in Stage 2. After all the melee was over, the No. 52 Halmar Racing team came home sixth for his fourth top 10 finish of the year.
    4. Cody Coughlin – Coughlin placed third Friday night at the 1-mile race track. It was the best finish of his three-year career in the Truck Series, despite not finishing in the top 10 in both stages. Coughlin will look to end the season on a high note by either winning or scoring another top three finish.
    5. Kaz Grala – If Grala was not knocked out of the championship hunt, who knows where he would have been now. In the past three races, he has finished inside the top 10. In fact, Grala’s whole round has been solid, but wrecking at Talladega and finishing 29th was the ultimate blow to his championship hopes. He will be hoping to end the season winning at Homestead after winning the first race of the season at Daytona.
  • Johnny Sauter Searching For Second Consecutive Championship

    Johnny Sauter Searching For Second Consecutive Championship

    With wins at Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, last year’s champion, Johnny Sauter will be looking for his second consecutive championship Friday night at Homestead-Miami. His 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series campaign has been nothing short of spectacular.

    In 2017, Sauter has collected four wins, 12 top fives, and 18 top 10 finishes in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet. Meanwhile, he has posted an average start of 4.9 and an average finish of 6.5, with 455 laps led. None of that will matter though, when the season finale takes place Friday night at Homestead-Miami, as it’s every person for themselves and the highest finishing order of the Championship 4.

    Despite high expectations, Sauter is being cautious about his trip for the second consecutive year.

    “That track is really tricky,” the 14-year Truck Series veteran said. “We go down there and we get one set of tires for practice and that place eats tires like a cheese grater. Your first couple of laps you’re going to feel like King Kong and then you’re going to think ‘what is wrong with this truck?’ I suspect you’re going to see everything next week. Unload decent, struggle a little then be good in the race. We’ve just got to be smart and make smart decisions and we’ll be okay.”

    “It’s been a good place for me. I wouldn’t say it’s been great, but a good place. I’ve got a lot of experience. I hope that helps.”

     

  • Johnny Sauter Goes Back To Back After Wild Race In Phoenix

    Johnny Sauter Goes Back To Back After Wild Race In Phoenix

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed out west tonight for the annual running of the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway and it sure didn’t disappoint.

    Johnny Sauter was able to score his second consecutive victory after holding off John Hunter Nemechek on a late race restart.

    Christopher Bell and Noah Gragson set the front row in qualifying on Friday afternoon.

    The stages were broken up into 40/80/150 laps.

    In the first stage, it was run cleanly and smoothly without any incident, as Gragson and Bell traded the lead back and forth before Bell eventually took the Stage 1 win. With this stage win, he was able to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead.

    Stage 2 was similar to Stage 1. Bell and Gragson swapped the lead a few times before the second caution came out for the 98 of Grant Enfinger who made contact with the Turn 1 wall. This prompted Stage 2 to end under yellow, seeing Bell sweep both of the stages. Matt Crafton also clinched the third championship spot after Stage 2 due to collecting enough points needed.

    When Stage 3 began on lap 88, it might have been one of the wildest stages all year. There were several incidents and three red flags. The first incident came on lap 121 for Josh Reaume, who stopped on the track. Then shortly after the restart, a big accident took place on the frontstretch involving Austin Cindric, Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, Austin Hill and Norm Benning.

    As they say “cautions breed cautions” and it was in effect tonight, as another incident took place after the restart on the backstretch, where Ryan Truex hit the wall hard, collecting Dalton Sargeant, Jesse Little, Todd Gilliland and Stewart Friesen.

    The race went back to green on lap 141 and this saw race leader Bell, and Gragson, racing hard for the win until Gragson and Bell made slight contact, which sent both of them into the wall ending their shot at the win. During the wreck, Gragson hit the wall hard backward and then Justin Haley plowed right into him, causing more contact for Gragson’s No. 18. John Hunter Nemechek was also involved, after running over a piece of debris. Gragson was evaluated and released from the infield care center.

    With a late race restart that saw two to go, Nemechek gave all he could for Sauter, but Sauter eventually held off the No. 8 and won his second consecutive race of the 2017 season after winning Texas last week.

    Sauter led once for five laps and placed sixth in both stages. There were six cautions for 38 laps and three red flags. The race had nine leaders among three drivers.

    Along with Sauter, Matt Crafton, Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell will now be competing for the championship next weekend at Homestead Miami.

     

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Phoenix

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Phoenix

    As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season continues to dwindle down, there are two races left to go to crown the 2017 champion. However, before that happens, there is one race left to go in the Round of 6 and we will see that this Friday night at Phoenix International Raceway.

    Currently, there are 32 trucks on the preliminary entry list.

    Starting position is important at Phoenix. In the past five races, the winner has come from the top three starting spots, with the exception of 10th which was set in 2015 by Timothy Peters. Also, in the past five races, there have been three different winners, with Erik Jones being the only consecutive repeat winner in 2013 and 2014.

    1. Matt Crafton – Crafton is number one among active drivers statistically at Phoenix. In five races, he scored three top fives and three top 10 finishes, with 15 laps led. His best finish of second came in 2014 and finished third last year before competing for the championship the next week. Look for the two-time champion to be strong Friday night in the Arizona desert.
    2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter is rolling off with momentum from his Texas win last weekend, advancing to the Championship 4 at Homestead. That won’t stop him from competing for another win and keeping the other playoff drivers on their feet. At Phoenix, Sauter has one top five and three top 10 finishes. He also averages an 11.4 start and a 13.8 average finish.
    3. Christopher Bell – After finishing third last weekend in the mid-west, Bell looks to solidify his spot in the Championship 4 by winning at Phoenix. Sure, he only has one start, which came last year and earned him a top ten finish. Kyle Busch Motorsports, however, has won four out of the last five races. So, Bell has some expectation to run well here, but if he can get it done, he will have the equipment to do it in.
    4. John Hunter Nemechek – One last shot for Nemechek to get in on a win and Phoenix just might be the place. In the last four races, he has one top five and three top 10 finishes. Although, stats will not matter because Nemechek has to win to advance, no matter where he finishes and how the other drivers fare as well.
    5. Ryan Truex – Truex has been having a solid 2017 season and he could possibly be an upset Friday night. With just one race completed, he finished ninth after starting 11th, which came in 2012. Truex also led 22 laps during that race.It will be a busy Friday for the Truck Series superstars.Only one practice session is scheduled for 11:00-12:50 p.m. ET on FS2. Later that day, qualifying takes place at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, with the race coverage slated for 8 p.m. ET live on FS1 and MRN Radio.The green flag is set to fly at 8:49 p.m. ET.
  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Texas

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came to the mid-west on Friday night for the JAGS Metal 350. It was the second race in the Round of 6. Here are four takeaways from the race at Texas Motor Speedway.

    1. Johnny Sauter Continues Dominance At Texas – When the scoring pylon showed Johnny Sauter in victory lane at the end of the night, it was no surprise that he was victory lane, even with the new recent repave of the 1.5-mile track. He now has four career wins at Texas Motor Speedway. Sauter has led a career 96 laps out of a combined 608 laps. Safe to say, Texas is one of Sauter’s best track statistically. He is now locked in to compete for the championship for a second consecutive year.
    2. Christopher Bell Posts Top Three Finish – After winning the June race, Bell had high expectations for this race to run well and that he did. He led once for 20 laps and placed top ten in both stages. With Phoenix looming, he will try to lock himself by winning but if past history is anything, they cannot take anything for granted. See, William Byron’s championship run last year, where it was cut short at Phoenix due to a blown motor.
    3. Matt Crafton Places An Uncharacteristic Ninth – When coming to Texas Motor Speedway, you expect at least two guys to be running up front and challenging for the win. Those are Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton. Crafton had two wins prior to this race at Fort Worth, both coming in 2014 and 2015, respectively. However, on Friday night, he did not have the best truck out there. In stage 1, Crafton finished sixth and eighth in stage 2. He only led five laps but wound up finishing ninth. He sits third -31 behind. Crafton will have to win two stages at Phoenix or win the race, to be locked in the Championship 4.
    4. Must Win For John Hunter Nemechek At Phoenix – John Hunter Nemechek has had a disastrous playoff run in 2017. It all started at Loudon, where he was sent to the garage for problems with the truck and came back out to finish 20th. Nemechek had a couple of solid runs at Las Vegas finishing sixth and eighth at Talladega, despite the damaged truck. However, he had an accident at Martinsville, which took him out of the race and wounded up 30th. And then this past weekend at Texas, Nemechek finished 19th, even though he placed top ten in both stages. It’s win or get eliminated for Nemechek at Phoenix this weekend. He sits 6th, -89 points behind.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continued their championship stretch Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. It wasn’t a surprise as to who the winner was, clinching a spot in the Championship 4.

    Here’s a look at the power rankings from Texas.

    1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter continued his recent success at Texas Friday night by winning and advancing to Homestead-Miami for another shot at the championship. He placed second and ninth, respectively, in Stages 1 and 2. Sauter regained the lead on Lap 135 and held off a hard charging Austin Cindric for his 16th career Truck Series win and fourth career track win at Texas.
    2. Austin Cindric – Cindric had another strong showing Friday night by placing in the second position. After starting sixth, he was consistently in the top 10 most of the night when finishing third and seventh in both stages. Cindric even led once for 36 laps, but ultimately finished .170 seconds behind race winner Johnny Sauter. Currently, he sits fourth, -50 points behind first and is right on the cutoff line for advancing to Homestead. Nonetheless, a great showing by the No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing team, who is closing their doors at the end of the season.
    3. Justin Haley – Haley only had one previous start at Texas, which came in the June race and finished sixth. On Friday afternoon, he qualified on the pole, securing his first ever career pole position in the Truck Series. He did not place in the top 10 at all during both stages, but with pit strategy, Haley worked his way up and finished fifth, giving him his third top five of the season.
    4. Christopher Bell – Somewhat of a decent showing for Bell and the No. 4 JBL Tundra team. After winning the June race, it was expected for him to be up front and challenging for the win, however, Bell came up just two spots short. Bell dominated the first stage by winning and placed third in the second stage. He led twice for 20 laps and finished third.
    5. Chase Briscoe – The other BKR teammate was also in the top five Friday night, finishing in the fourth position. Briscoe started 10th but had a difficult truck to work with after not scoring in the top 10 in both stages. With the help of his crew and adjustments made during pit-stops, Briscoe rallied to a fourth-place finish, earning his eighth top-five finish in 2017.