Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff/Curb Records Toyota Tundra, has won at least one race in all six of his full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) seasons. However, the ThorSport Racing driver has yet to win at his favorite track, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, site of Friday’s Lucas Oil 200.
With its steeply banked turns and a reputation for brutal treatment on both driver and machine, the one-mile concrete oval has more than earned its nickname of the “Monster Mile.” Sauter, who has six previous starts at Dover, including a track-best third-place finish in 2014, knows that it will take experience to tame the Monster’s high-banks on Friday, and the ThorSport Racing driver can’t think of a better place to get his first win of 2015 than at a track he “loves.”
Sounding Off – Johnny Sauter:
“I’ve been racing long enough that when you go to these other tracks you kind of become numb to the speed. Dover’s one of those places that never gets old. You can drive the race track as hard as you want all day long, and it will take it. There just aren’t a lot of places like that. Dover’s just fun, I love it.”
“I don’t know why I haven’t won there; I would love to. It’s one of my favorite tracks. I’ve had trucks capable of winning, we were close there last year, and then something out of my control happens. Dover is just a tough track. It’s a high-banked, one-mile oval that’s demanding on both drivers and our equipment. The high speeds that we carry through the banked turns makes it hard for us to see what’s ahead; you are on the edge every second of every lap. It’s demanding, it’s fun, and it’s a track I would love to win at.”
Thorsport PR
