Sauter scores top-10 finish in season finale at Homestead

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Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 98 Nextant Aerospace Toyota Tundra, closed out the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season with a 10th-place finish at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (HMS). The result marked Sauter’s 16th top-10 finish of the season.

Sauter began his night from the 17th position, after advancing to round two of qualifying on Friday afternoon. The Necedah, WI native immediately moved forward and worked his way inside the top-15 in the first 10 laps. Despite his Toyota Tundra beginning the race “way too loose on corner entry,” Sauter made progress toward the front by the races first round of pit stops. Under a lap 25 caution, the ThorSport Racing driver came to pit road for a scheduled stop, but over-shot his pit box before crew chief Jeff Hensley was able to put on four Goodyear tires, Sunoco fuel, and make a track bar adjustment.

 

After losing valuable track position, the driver of the No. 98 Toyota Tundra restarted 18th on lap 28, and began his methodical journey through the field. A caution on lap 40 allowed the team to pit from the 17th position, and get off sequence with a majority of the field. Still battling a free condition, Hensley opted for four fresh tires, fuel, a trackbar and spring rubber adjustment. The adjustments and tire advantage gave Sauter the edge on the competition to steadily work his way up and race for a top-10 position by the races halfway mark.

 

A debris caution on lap 71 gave the Wisconsinite another opportunity to pit for four tires, fuel, an air pressure and wedge adjustment to rectify his persistent loose condition. On the ensuing run, Sauter broke into the top 10 and reported that his Toyota Tundra was “free-in, and snug-off” the corner. A caution on lap 100 allowed Sauter to make his final stop of the night for tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. The Nextant Aerospace driver would restart from the eighth position on lap 103 after quick work on pit road. The season finale ended with a 20-lap green-flag run in which Sauter maintained his position, crossing the stripe 10th behind race-winner Darrell Wallace Jr. The top-10 result was the ThorSport Racing driver’s fifth top-10 in eight starts at the 1.5-mile oval.

 

BKR PR

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