Race Preview – COTA

May 19, 2021

Hero Card Requests:

Send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope to: ThorSport Racing Attn: Hero Card Request PO Box 2218 Sandusky, OH 44871

Johnny Sauter | No. 13 AHI Facility Services, Inc. Toyota Tundr

Making the Calls: Joe Shear Jr.
Eyes in the Sky: Tab Boyd, Gary Mann, Matt Murphy
Season Stats: Eight starts, one pole, two top-five and four top-10 finishes averaging an 9.8 start and a 14.5 finish to go along with his 25 laps led.
Series Career Stats: 297 starts, 24 wins, 111 top-five and 180 top-10 finishes to go along with nine pole awards and 2,660 laps led.

Paul Menard | No. 66 Mattei Toyota Tundra

Making the Calls: Bud Haefele
Eyes in the Sky: David Pepper, Tracy Hines, Carl Miller
Series Career Stats: Six starts with a series-best finish of eighth, at Kansas Speedway in 2003.
Quotable: “I appreciate Duke and Rhonda giving me this opportunity to get back into a truck, while working with Bud Haefele again. COTA is a new track for the series and one that I have never been to before, so we’ll all be on relatively equal footing. I’ll have 50 minutes to learn the track and knock the rust off and am certainly looking forward to the challenge of trying to add my name to the list of winners in all three national series,” 

Matt Crafton | No. 88 Oklahoma Joe’s / Menards Toyota Tundra

Making the Calls: Carl “Junior” Joiner
Eyes in the Sky: Jason Hedlesky, Greg Stumpff, Danny Crafton
Season Stats: Eight starts, two top-five and four top-10 finishes, averaging a 7.8 start and 11.8 finishing position to go along 14 laps led..
Series Career Stats: 484 consecutive starts, 15 wins, 127 top-five and 292 top-10 finishes in addition to 16 poles and 2,670 laps led.
Welcome Back! This weekend we welcome back Oklahoma Joes on the hood of the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra.

Christian Eckes | No. 98 FarmPaint.com / Curb Records Toyota Tundra

Making the Calls: Jeriod Prince
Eyes in the Sky: Chris Monez, Kolby Munk, Toby Whealdon
Season Stats: Eckes has three starts in the No. 98 this year where he has tallied one top-five and three top-10 finishes averaging a 12.7 start and 7.7 finish to go along with 22 laps led.
Series Career Stats: 38 starts, 11 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes to go along with three pole awards and 310 laps led.
Welcome Back! This weekend we welcome Curb Records artist Dylan Scotton the the decklid of the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Toyota Tundra.
Quotable: “I’m really looking forward to going to COTA this weekend. It’s a race track that I’ve watched F1 at for years and it’ll be fun to race. I’m not extremely experienced with road courses but I have had fun at them in the past. Hopefully we can put on a good show and get another good run for our No. 98 FarmPaint.com / Curb Records team.”

Ben Rhodes | No. 99 Bombardier / Learjet 75 Toyota Tundra

Making the Calls: Rich Lushes
Eyes in the Sky: TJ Bell, Keith Lord, Mark Lushes
Season Stats: Eight starts, 63 laps led en route to two wins, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Rhodes has an averaging start of 5.9 and 6.1 finishing position.
Series Career Stats: 127 starts, five wins, 37 top-five and 67 top-10 finishes to go along with five pole awards and 799 laps led.
Quotable: “Ever since Daytona I’ve been so eager to get back on a road course and I can’t think of a better place than COTA. Knowing that everyone is learning it together will be fun and quite the challenge. I’m super confident in my ThorSport Racing Bombardier Tundra team.”

Notables:

All-Time Numbers: ThorSport Racing sits at 38 wins, 292 top-five and 604 top-10 finishes, 6,019 laps led to go along with 35 pole awards in 1,328 series starts.