The 2016 Truck Series champion is about to suit up for another race. Johnny Sauter will make his return to the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra for the June 4 trip to World Wide Technology Raceway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1).
The NASCAR Roster Portal provided the news ahead of the race weekend. The entry list for the No. 13 named Sauter as the driver for ThorSport Racing. Carl Joiner will serve as his crew chief for the 160-lap event around the 1.25-mile track. This race will mark Sauter’s second start of the year in the No. 13 Toyota after he moved back to a part-time schedule.
Sauter will use the June 4 race to pursue an important goal. He has never won at World Wide Technology Raceway despite contending in 88.9% of his starts. Sauter has suited up for nine total races at the track outside of St. Louis, and he has posted eight top-five finishes. The only exception is a DNF in 2020 due to a mechanical issue.
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Sauter Took on a Different Role Entering 2022
The Wisconsin native has extensive experience across all three national NASCAR series. He has started 85 Cup Series races, 207 Xfinity Series races, and 313 Truck Series races while reaching Victory Lane multiple times.
Sauter ran full-time in the Truck Series from 2009 until the end of the 2021 season, but his schedule changed ahead of the 2022 season. He became a part-time driver for both G2G Racing and ThorSport Racing while agreeing to drive both the No. 47 and No. 13 entries in select races.
Sauter has only started two races thus far. He kicked off his year with a trip to Daytona International Speedway, but an electrical issue ended the No. 47’s day after only 60 laps. He then made his first start of the year for ThorSport Racing at Martinsville Speedway and finished second overall behind William Byron after starting on the last row.
Sauter Can Continue To Pursue Another Goal
The veteran driver has extensive experience in the Camping World Truck Series. He has started 313 races, which is seventh all-time. ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton holds the top spot with 508 starts. He is the only driver to start more than 400 races in the series.
If Sauter qualifies for the race at World Wide Technology Raceway, he will move into a tie with two other drivers. Both Terry Cook and Dennis Setzer sit in a tie for fifth on the all-time starts list with 314. David Starr is fourth with 317. Depending on the remaining schedule, there is a possibility that Sauter takes over fourth place before the end of the year.
Along with the starts mark, Sauter can also make some moves by returning to Victory Lane. He has 24 career Truck Series wins, which is fifth all-time. Jack Sprague and Mike Skinner sit in a tie for third all-time with 28 wins each while Ron Hornaday Jr. is second with 51 trips to Victory Lane. Kyle Busch holds the all-time record with 61 wins.
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Johnny Sauter Sets Date for Next NASCAR Start