Sauter Ready To “Close” The Gap In “Thunder Valley”

Aug 17, 2015

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Team Information:

2015 Driver Point Standings: 4th (-53)
2015 Owner Point Standings: 5th
Crew Chief: Doug George

Sandusky, Ohio (August 17, 2015) – Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Toyota Tundra, enters the 14th race on the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, looking for his first win of the season, and his first in “Thunder Valley.” In seven previous starts, Sauter has three top-five finishes, including a track-best second-place result in 2011, and a fifth-place finish in 2014.

Through 13 races this season, Sauter has led 46 laps, including a season-high 24 laps in last weekend’s NCWTS at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, earning five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. In a season that has been characterized with high’s and low’s, Sauter has muscled through adversity, early in a race, to finish strong. In fact, the ThorSport Racing driver is credited with leading the “Closers” category in NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, gaining 14 positions in the last 10 percent of each race. If passion and determination win’s races, you can count on Sauter to be a factor in Wednesday night’s UNOH 200 at “The Worlds Fastest Half Mile.”

Sounding Off – Johnny Sauter:

“I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like short track racing under the lights. I personally, love Bristol, love the atmosphere. It’s just a cool race track, especially from a competitor’s standpoint. If your stuff is working good, you can run all over the race track. I still think Bristol is a race track that you need to be able to work the bottom to be able to maneuver lap traffic. There is a lot going on at Bristol though, you’re busy. We’ve finished second there before, had some decent run’s, just never won there. Hopefully, we can change that up this week, and bring home Smokey Mountain’s first win.”

News & Notes:

Chassis Chatter…The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 52 for Wednesday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. This particular chassis was last seen at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Sauter started 16th and finished ninth.
Bristol Stats… Sauter will be making his eighth start at BMS on Wednesday, and the Smokey Snuff driver is still looking for his first win in “Thunder Valley.” In seven previous starts, Sauter has earned three top-five finishes. In 2014 the ThorSport Racing driver finished fifth.
2015 Season in Review… In 13 NCWTS starts in 2015, Sauter has completed 1986 of 1989 laps attempted (99.8%), and led 46 laps en route to five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. The Smokey Snuff driver has an Average start of 11.5 and an Average finish of 8.8 with a Best Start of fourth at Texas Motor Speedway and Gateway (Ill.) Motorsports Park, and a Best Finish of third at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and Gateway.
Previous Race Recap… Sauter started ninth and finished fourth in the Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Sauter’s NCWTS Stats at Bristol:

7 starts since 2003
1283 of 1410 laps completed (91.0%)
0 laps led
Three top-five finishes
Best start: Fourth (2010)
Best finish: Second (2011)
Average start: 14.6
Average finish: 10.9
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Sauter ranks:
- Eighth in Average Running Position (10.4)
- Eighth in Driver Rating (89.0)
- Fourth in Laps in the Top 15 (905)

Johnny Sauter’s 2014 Highlights:

Finished fourth in the NCWTS driver point standings
Sixth consecutive full-time season driving for ThorSport Racing
Earned a win at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, extending his win streak to six consecutive seasons
Earned eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes
154 laps led
Average finish: 9.3

Sauter’s Career Truck Series Stats: