Top 10 finish for Sauter in Phoenix

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News

Johnny Sauter started the race-shortened Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway (PIR) from the 14th position after getting loose in final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) practice on Thursday and making contact with the Turn 3 wall. Forced to make repairs to the primary truck instead of bringing out a back-up, Sauter struggled with a Toyota Tundra that was tight throughout the caution-plagued event on Friday. After a delayed start due to a power outage in the area’s West Valley region, 48 caution laps, and one red flag, the ThorSport Racing driver crossed the stripe ninth, his fifth top-10 result in six starts at the 1-mile oval.

Starting from the inside of row four, Sauter would work his way up to the seventh position early, fighting a “tight” condition through the races first 91 laps before bringing his No. 98 Tundra to pit road for a scheduled stop under green for four tires and fuel, including a trackbar adjustment to aid in the handling. Sauter would return to the track in the 11th position, one lap down to the race leaders, who had not made their scheduled stops. Unfortunately, the races fifth caution flag was displayed at lap 101 for an accident in Turn 4 before pit stops cycled through, and Sauter was forced to take the “wave around,” placing him back on the lead lap.

 

Restarting 11th, one of the last trucks on the lead lap, Sauter would immediately complain that his Tundra was “plowing.” With nothing to lose, crew chief Jeff Hensley would bring the No. 98 machine back down pit road on the races sixth caution for four tires, a trackbar adjustment and to remove some tape, in an effort to improve the handling. The ThorSport Racing driver would restart eighth at lap 118 and lose one position to Austin Dillon in the races final eight laps, before NASCAR stopped the field 24 laps shy of the scheduled distance for another power outage around the 1-mile oval. Sauter would be credited with a ninth-place finish behind race winner Erik Jones, his 15th top-10 finish of 2014.

 

Thorsport PR

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