Track best for Sauter at Eldora

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) visited Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH for only the second time in series history on Wednesday night for the 1-800-CarCash Mudsummer Classic. Johnny Sauter, who was looking for redemption after the inaugural event at the half-mile clay oval, dug his heels deep into the Western Ohio mud and brought home an eighth-place finish in the 10th race on the 2014 schedule. The solid run was Sauter’s track-best finish at “The Big E” and his eighth top-10 finish of the season.

Starting fourth in Heat Race 5, Sauter battled with dirt-track specialist, Ken Schrader throughout the 10-lap shootout for position and made his way around the No. 52 machine on a restart with five laps remaining, and never looked back. Sauter would win his heat, placing the Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Toyota Tundra on the inside of row three, in the fifth position, for the main event.

 

Sauter started NASCAR’s only dirt race from the fifth position, a track-best start for the Necedah, WI driver and his fourth top-five start of the 2014 season. Battling a SmokeySnuff.com Tundra that was “loose” in the early stages, Sauter was scored seventh when officials displayed the caution flag on lap 62, signaling the end of the first of three pre-designated segments. During the break, crew chief Dennis Conner brought the No. 98 machine down pit road for four tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment to aid in the handling. In the second 50-lap segment, Sauter’s Tundra swung to the tight side and the ThorSport Racing driver fell as far back as 14th. However, in the late running of the second segment, Sauter radioed into his crew that he was, “a lot better, I’m just a little tight in the center and loose off.” Therefore, when the final competition caution was displayed at lap 112 to signal the end of the second segment, the team stayed out and rallied in the final 40 laps to finish eighth in the 2nd annual Mudsummer Classic.

 

Thorsort PR

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