Johnny Sauter, No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Toyota Tundra
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Bristol Motor Speedway – UNOH 200
Race No. 14 of 23
Stats:
Started: 12th
Finished: 9th
Laps: 202/202
Status: Running
Driver Points: 4th
Owner Points: 5th
SOLID TOP-10 FINISH FOR SAUTER IN BRISTOL
Bristol, Tenn. (August 20, 2015) – Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Toyota Tundra, started 12th and finished ninth in Wednesday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The solid run marked the ThorSport Racing driver’s fourth top-10 in eight starts at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” and the 10th of his 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season.
Starting from the outside of row six, Sauter reported that he had steering issues early in the 200-lap event, and that his No. 98 Toyota Tundra was “loose,” but maintained a position inside the top-10. Crew chief Doug George brought the “green machine” to pit road under caution at lap 33 for four tires and fuel, and again at lap 81 for two tires and fuel, in an effort to gain track position. The call paid off. Sauter would lead the field back to green for the first time in eight career starts at BMS, leading the 32-truck field for seven laps.
Fighting a SmokeySnuff.com Toyota Tundra that had swung to the tight side, Sauter battled with his teammate, Matt Crafton, for a position inside the top-three, until falling back inside the top-10. Unfortunately, Mother Nature would take command of the race, and the red flag was displayed for rain for over 45 minutes. When racing resumed, Sauter was scored 10th, but maneuvered his way into the seventh position before the fifth and final caution flag was displayed for an accident in Turn 3, sending the race into over time. The Necedah, Wisc. driver would restart on the bottom and lose track position on the restart, settling for a ninth-place finish behind race winner, Ryan Blaney.
The solid run allowed the ThorSport Racing driver to maintain his fourth-place position in the NCWTS driver point standings following the 14th race on the 2015 schedule.
Quote:
“I’m not sure what happened to our Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff/Curb Records Toyota Tundra during the race tonight. I was happy with the truck in practice, and we just didn’t have any sustainability in the race. I had issues with the power steering early on, and the truck just swung from loose to tight because of the way the track takes on rubber. I knew we were in trouble on that last restart when we had to start on the bottom, you just couldn’t pass.”
Notes:
- Johnny Sauter started 12th and finished ninth in the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Sauter’s ninth-place finish was his fourth top-10 in eight starts at the half-mile track
- The ThorSport Racing driver led the 32-truck field once, for seven laps, during the 200-lap event. Sauter has led a total of 53 laps in 2015
- In 2015, Sauter has five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes
- The ThorSport Racing driver maintained a 4th-place position in the 2015 NCWTS driver point standings following the event
- In 166 career NCWTS starts, Sauter has 10 wins, 61 top-five and 96 top-10 finishes
- Ryan Blaney won the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, followed by Kyle Busch (second), John H. Nemechek (third), Daniel Hemric (fourth), and Brandon Jones (fifth)
- Up next: The NCWTS 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Sunday, August 30
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. For more information visit:www.SmokeySnuff.com
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.
