Johnny Sauter
| Johnny Sauter | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards | 2001 American Speed Association Champion | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| Car no., team | None Best_Cup_Pos = 30th - 2007 | ||||||
| First race | 2003 Tropicana 400 (Chicago) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| Car no., team | None Best_Busch_Pos = 8th - 2003, 2006 (Busch Series) | ||||||
| First race | 2001 Autolite Fram 250 (Richmond) | ||||||
| First win | 2002 Tropicana Twister 300 Presented by Sam's Club (Chicagoland) | ||||||
| Last win | 2005 SBC 250 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 10 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 54th - 2004 | ||||||
| First race | 2003 O'Reilly 200 (Bristol) | ||||||
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Johnathan Sauter (born May 1, 1978, in Necedah, Wisconsin) is a NASCAR driver from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter.
Sauter, along with co-driver Kevin Harvick, won the 2003 Owner's NASCAR Busch Series Championship. Sauter drove both the #21 PayDay Chevrolet for Richard Childress and the #43 Channellock Tools Chevrolet and Dodge for Mike Curb (in some races, Sauter ran the Dodge instead of the Chevrolet). In addition to sharing duties with Harvick in 2003, Johnny spent his rookie season (2002) driving the #2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. He picked up his first win in 2002, winning the Chicagoland 300 Busch Series race.
In 2003, Sauter won his second race in the #43 Channellock car at Richmond International Raceway. In the fall race at the track, Sauter and fellow Wisconsinite Matt Kenseth were battling for the win in the waning laps. Finally, after beating and banging on each other for several laps, Sauter bumped Kenseth out of the way in the final turn to clinch the win.
In 2004, he drove the #27 Kleenex Chevrolet for Brewco Motorsports. He followed 2004 by switching to James Finch's Phoenix Racing #1 Yellow Transportation/Miccosukee Gaming Dodge Charger in 2005, and recorded his last Busch Series win to date at his home track, The Milwaukee Mile. In 2004 he was hired by Richard Childress to drive the 30 car with AOL sponsorship but was replaced later in the year by Jeff Burton. In 2006, Sauter left Phoenix Racing for Haas CNC Racing to drive the #00 Chevrolet, and took the Yellow Transportation sponsorship with him to the new team.
Sauter was the first driver to be fined and docked points for swearing during a radio interview after the Sam's Town 300 Busch race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2004, under new NASCAR rules implemented in the wake of Super Bowl XXXVIII.
At Lowe's Motor Speedway, Sauter made his first NEXTEL Cup start for Haas CNC Racing, driving the #70 Chevrolet. He was running in the top 10 for much of the race with teammate Jeff Green. But late in the race, he blew a left rear tire, which caused minor damage to the car; Sauter ended up finishing 24th. He will race the #70 Chevrolet full time in Nextel for 2007. He qualified for the 2007 Daytona 500 in 8th place. In the first quarter of 2007, he is in the top 35 in owner's points with a top ten at Phoenix.
Johnny Sauter finished 2nd in the Nextel Open and transferred into the Nextel All-Star Challenge. He was impressive all night, finishing 6th in the All Star event against NASCAR's best.
In the Chevy Rock and Roll 400, Sauter started in 35th but had one of the fastest cars all night, and was in the top 10 almost the entire night. Even though a bad pit stop put him back about halfway, he made his way back up and finished in 5th at the end, his best career finish. He also jumped in the standings.
Sauter is engaged to marry Cortney Owen, also a Wisconsin native, and a former Miss USA pageant contestant. She might also be reconginzed as a former contestant ontthe reality TV show, Outback Jack. They are scheduled to marry in December 2007 in Wisconsin. [1]
In 2008, Sauter was tabbed to drive for his former Nationwide Series team, Phoenix Racing, in the #1 Chevrolet but was cut after 5 races and is with out a ride.
Sauter will drive the Wood Brothers #21 car in the Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas.