Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, finished second in his eighth start at Phoenix International Raceway in the Lucas Oil 150 on Friday night. Sauter started from the fourth position for the 150-lap event and immediately took over the third position. During the first extended green flag run of the night, Sauter reported to his team that he was loose to start but his Allegiant Travel Chevrolet would get tight towards the end of a run. Crew chief Joe Shear Jr., called his driver to pit road on lap 65 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. A slow stop caused Sauter to restart from the seventh position. Sauter re-entered the top five on lap 84 and, shortly after, told the team he was too loose on entry. As caution waved for the seventh time on lap 100, he told the team the handling had just started to improve, confirming the previous adjustment were working for longer green flag runs. The team did not pit and the race resumed on lap 105 with Sauter in the fourth position. On lap 139 he moved into the second position and was chasing down leader Daniel Suarez when the final caution of the night occurred on lap 142. The race returned to green with four laps remaining. Sauter was not able to make the pass for the lead and crossed the finish line in the second position for his 11th top-five finish of the season.
Sauter is seeded in the first position in the driver championship standings heading into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He will compete for the first championship of his career in his first season with GMS Racing.
GMS Racing PR
