Sandusky, Ohio (October 27, 2015) – For the sixth time this season, Johnny Sauter will carry the colors of Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff, America’s original and best-selling tobacco-free, nicotine-free chew. The smokeless brand comes in seven flavors, and pouches and this weekend the No. 98 Toyota Tundra will trade-in its Wintergreen colors to showcase “Peach,” a tangy, sweet and juicy flavor – just in time for Halloween.
Sauter, who has made 15 starts at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway since 2006, is no stranger to success at the .526-mile track. In 15 previous starts, the ThorSport Racing driver has two wins, seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. In fact, Sauter has more wins (2), and has led more laps (286), than any other driver entered in the 28th annual event. Earlier this season, the Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff driver, started ninth, had an Average Running Position of 5.9, and finished fourth.
Still looking for his first win of the 2015 NCWTS season, there is no better “time” or place thanSaturday’s Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway for Sauter to “haunt” the completion and take “Jack-O-Peach” to victory lane.
Sounding Off – Johnny Sauter:
“Martinsville is awesome. I feel like every time we walk through the tunnel there, we’ll hopefully be one of the guys to beat. It’s just a fun race track, with a lot of beating and banging. It’s one of those races that you have to manage everything. You have to be conservative, yet you have to be aggressive. There’s a fine line between the two, and you’re either on the good side, or the bad side of those two options. I love Martinsville. I’ve been fortunate enough to win there a couple times, and I’d really like to get another one.”
News & Notes:
- Chassis Chatter… The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 11 forSaturday’s Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. This particular chassis was last seen at the .526-mile “paperclip” earlier this season. Sauter started ninth and finished fourth.
- Martinsville Minute… Sauter will make his 16th start at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday. In 15 previous starts, the ThorSport Racing driver has led 286 laps en route to two wins, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes. In fact, the Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff driver has more wins (2), and has led more laps (286), than any other driver entered in the 28th annual event.
- 2015 Season in Review… In 19 NCWTS starts in 2015, Sauter has completed 2820 of 2824 laps attempted (99.9%), and led 118 laps en route to seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. The ThorSport Racing driver has an Average Start of 11.4 and an Average Finish of 8.3 with a Best Start of third at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, and a Best Finish of third at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis.
- Previous Race Recap… Sauter started eighth and finished seventh in the fred’s 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The ThorSport Racing driver’s top-10 finish in the 18th race on the 2015 scheduled netted his 100th career top-10 finish since 2003.
- Sauter’s Looking For Number Seven… Sauter is one of three drivers with a win in six consecutive NCWTS seasons, and the ThorSport Racing driver is looking to make it seven in 2015. In fact, only three drivers have been able to accomplish the feat in the series 20-year history (Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch, and Ron Hornaday, Jr.).
Sauter’s NCWTS Stats at Martinsville:
- 15 starts since 2006
- 3394 of 3421 laps completed (99.2%)
- 286 laps led
- Two wins (2011 & 2013)
- Five top-five finishes
- Seven top-10 finishes
- One Pole: 2011
- Average start: 10.3
- Average finish: 13.1
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:
- 171 starts since 2003
- 10 wins
- 63 top-five finishes
- 100 top-10 finishes
- Five poles
- 25,705 laps completed
- 1277 laps led
- Average start: 10.7
- Average finish: 10.7
Race Information:
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2015
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Track Details: .526-mile oval
Distance: 200 laps/105.2 miles
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.
