Johnny Sauter, No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Toyota Tundra
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Daytona International Speedway
Race No. 1 of 23
Team Information:
2014 Driver Point Standings: 4th
2014 Owner Point Standings: 5th
Crew Chief: Doug George
SAUTER: A SUPERSPEEDWAY STUD
Sandusky, Ohio (February 16, 2015) – Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Toyota Tundra, will kick-off his seventh full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (DIS). The ThorSport Racing driver is no stranger to success at “The World Center of Racing.” In six previous starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Sauter has one win (2013) and two top-five finishes. In fact, the Necedah, Wisc. driver swept both superspeedway races in 2013 at DIS and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Sauter hopes to get the 2015 season started off right with a second trip to victory lane, which could help him obtain his ultimate goal, and something that has evaded his successful NCWTS career; a championship title.
Sounding Off – Johnny Sauter:
You are going into your seventh season at ThorSport Racing. You’ve had some success in the Truck Series; your teammate has won the last two championships. What is it that you need to do to get over the hump in 2015 and win your first championship?
“You can’t just stick your finger on one thing and say this is what we need to do differently. I say this all the time, but it’s a combination of five or so little things. If there was one big thing that a team could fix to go out and win every race, they would do it each and every week. I think you just have to massage on things. This year Doug George is on board to crew chief my truck and I think that will help. I feel good about the change. A lot of my guys are coming back that have been with me for a few years, so that’s good. Every year you look back on the previous year’s schedule, the race tracks you performed well at, and the tracks you didn’t, and try to rectify it. Study why or how you missed things at certain tracks, figure out what you need to do to improve on it, and make yourself better. I do those things myself, make a check list of what I can do better or help the guys with so that when I get back to the race track I’m not having the same problems. We’ve proven we can win races, and if we can put all those little things together, we can get that championship.”
News & Notes:
- Chassis Chatter… Sauter will pilot chassis No. 25 for the 16th annual NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. This chassis was last run at Talladega (Ala) Superspeedway in 2014. Sauter started fourth and finished 31st due to a punctured radiator on lap 24 of 95.
- Calling the Shots… Doug George, a 10-year veteran of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), will be on top of the pit box for Sauter at Daytona. George has 154 starts to his credit in the NCWTS including two wins with Kyle Busch in 2009, five poles, 25 top-five and 49 top-10 finishes.
- Double Duty… In addition to piloting his No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Toyota Tundra, Sauter will attempt to make his third Daytona 500 behind the wheel of the No. 83 BK Racing Toyota.
Sauter’s Daytona International Speedway Stats:
- Six starts since 2009
- One win (2013)
- Two top-five finishes
- 452 of 612 laps completed (73.9%)
- 24 laps led
- Average start: 13.7
- Average finish: 17.8
Johnny Sauter 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:
- 152 starts since 2003
- 10 wins
- 56 top-five finishes
- 86 top-10 finishes
- Five poles
- 22,885 laps completed
- 1159 laps led
- Average start: 10.7
- Average finish: 11.0
Race Information:
Date: Friday, Feb. 20, 2015
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Track Details: 2.5-mile superspeedway
Distance: 100 laps/200 miles
Team Website:www.ThorSport.com
Social Media: @ThorSportRacing, @JohnnySauter
About Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff:
Smokey Mountain is America’s original and best-selling tobacco-free smokeless brand. Appealing to adult smokeless tobacco consumers who are seeking tobacco-free and nicotine-free alternatives, Smokey Mountain is available in long cut and easy-to-use pouches.
About ThorSport Racing
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport, which has competed in the NCWTS since 1996, will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by two-time NCWTS drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 98 Nextant Aerospace/Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff/Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny Sauter, and the No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra driven by Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, Cameron Hayley in 2015.
