Sauter Motors Through the Bluegrass State

Sauter Motors Through the Bluegrass State

No. 13 Safe Auto/Curb Records/Carrier.com Chevy Silverado Race Preview

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES * KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY * UNOH 225

Race 10 of 25

DERBYLAND BOUND: Returning from the longest break of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Johnny Sauter heads to the “Bluegrass State” to take on the D-shaped oval of Kentucky Speedway. Sauter’s last experience at Kentucky earned him his best finish at the 1.5-mile track – with a second place finish in 2010. Sauter looks to continue his consistency at the fast intermediates this year, with top 10s if not top fives at all previous 1.5-milers this year so far. The NCWTS driver points leader is looking to bring home another top-10 finish in the Thursday night race.

LIKE A ROCK…OR A FORT: Sauter and his ThorSport Racing teammates Matt Crafton and Dakoda Armstrong are making a special stop during their trip to Kentucky. The three drivers are scheduled to visit Fort Knox for a hands-on day of training and meeting with military members at the U.S. Army post on behalf of Goodyear Tire.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 13 team will utilize chassis No. 038 this weekend at Kentucky Speedway. This is chassis has driven home to top 7 finishes at Nashville and Charlotte already in 2011.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Johnny Sauter

How do you feel going into the race in Kentucky?

“I really like Kentucky, and a lot of guys don’t. It has less banking, more bumps you have to lift through, and it’s fast and flatter. It takes a lot of skill and driving, especially through the corners, so those are the kinds of tracks I like. If it’s not a short track, I want it to have the individuality of a Kentucky. This is when our entire package – aero, body, horsepower, setup in general – comes into play. We’re always saying these races are going to be won or lost on pit road, and I believe that during this one too. We’ll all be on our toes here, especially being a companion race with Cup and Nationwide, and those drivers coming back into the Series for a few races here.”

What’s the biggest challenge going into Kentucky?

“The bumps there are a huge challenge with the coil bound setup. You’re always looking for compliance with the shocks over the bumps but it’s more pronounced at a track like Kentucky that has the type of surface it does. Joe and I are always working on the splitter and decreasing the bounce on the track, something we fight all the time. Our setups are so strong on these intermediate tracks, and I’m pretty confident that I learned a lot last year here with Joe and the guys. We’re going to come back swinging.”

Did you do anything fun during our longest break of the season?

“I was able to get up to Sandusky, and I took Cortney and the kids with me. They got to play at Kalahari Resort while I met with the guys, talked setups for Kentucky and the next five big race clip we’ll be on, and also had a chance to catch the NHRA race with Duke Thorson. Cortney’s in Wisconsin now with our families, so I get to go racing while she gets to see family with the kids.”

Are you looking forward to spending some time at Fort Knox?

“We had the privilege of having an honorary pit crew from Dover AFB in our pits at Dover, and that was special. I’m glad that this close to July 4th holiday, we can celebrate these men and women at Fort Knox too. I know that we’ll be spending time with some of the children of fallen soldiers, and that means a lot to me.”