Rising star: Johnny Sauter - Brief Article

Auto Racing Digest, March, 2002 by J.J. O'Malley

JOHNNY SAUTER'S 2001 American Speed Association campaign was not your average rookie season. The 23-year-old had a sensational season, threatening to eclipse his father and two brothers as the most successful driver from his Necedah, Wisc., family.

Sauter won the ASA Rookie of the Year award, but that was just a minor accomplishment for the first-year driver. Sauter rewrote the ASA rookie record book with four poles, 13 top-three finishes; 14 top-five finishes, and 16 top-10 finishes in 20 races. He led 2,039 laps, more than double the total of the second-place driver.

But that's not all. Sauter also claimed the ACDelco Series championship--becoming the first rookie to win the title--and won an ASA record 10 races. "It was an unbelievable year," says Sauter. "There were so many highlights: the championship, rookie of the year, setting all those records, and winning 10 races--it was pretty incredible."

The dream season followed a forgettable 2000, when Sauter left his ride with LaFavre Racing to return to Wisconsin. There he hooked up with Alec Pinsonneault, who won the ASA title in 1999 with older brother Tim Sauter at the wheel. They ran two races at the end of the 2000 campaign, and Johnny showed indications of good things to come when he won the pole in his first start for Pinsonneault and crew chief Joe Shear Jr. at the Milwaukee Mile.

That gave the team momentum for 2001. Sauter won the first race, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in April, and never let up.

"I was. a little surprised--the whole ASA world was surprised," says Jim Sauter, former ASA and NASCAR Winston Cup driver, of his son's showing. "Johnny didn't make rookie mistakes. He's come a long way in just four years. He's got a heck of a lot of natural ability."

After his sixth victory, the phone started ringing. Sauter remained patient Jack Roush was the first to offer him a Craftsman Trucks series test and, eventually, a contract. Then Joe Gibbs called to arrange a test, which was later cancelled after the automobile suffered a crash. Sauter was also called to test for Herzog Racing, a Busch team with strong ASA ties. This led to another offer, but he continued to wait.

Then, Richard Childress called. The veteran car owner said he had been following Sauter's progress in the ASA and there was no need to test. This time, Sauter put his name on the bottom line. "It was unbelievable to receive offers from those teams," says Sauter. "It was an easy decision when Childress called. That's where we wanted to be."

Initially, 2002 was supposed to be a year of testing and limited Busch Series racing for Sauter, but the driver has proven to be ahead of the learning curve. He finished fifth in his NASCAR Busch Series debut in September, driving Childress' No. 21 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet at Richmond, and finished eighth in an ARCA race at Charlotte. At Memphis, Sauter turned in another strong performance, running up front until losing ground due to pit stops.

The current plan for 2002 is for Sauter to drive the No. 2 Chevrolet in about 20 Busch Series races. Kevin Harvick, who won the championship in that car in 2001, will return to that car for approximately 14 races when the Winston Cup and Busch Series share the same venue. Moving to the No. 21 Childress car in the Busch Series' non-companion events will be big brother Jay Sauter.

There will be three Sauter brothers in the series for 2002. Tim Sauter will be reunited with Pinsonneault and Shear. The team that took two Sauter brothers to ASA titles recently bought Ernie Irvan's old shops near Charlotte, N.C., and will pursue a full-time Busch Series ride in 2002, driving the No.19 for AP Performance.