March 28, 2024

Veteran and rookie drivers featured in NCWTS races

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Johnny Sauter has never won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Iowa Speedway. He has 10 starts at Iowa with six top-five wins.

Sauter is out to change all that Friday night in the NCWTS M&M’s 200. He is the 2016 NCWTS champion and is atop the 2017 driver points leaderboard coming into Iowa.

NCWTS rookie Chase Brisco has never won a Truck Series race at Iowa either. He did win the 2016 ARCA Series race at the Speedway on his way to the 2016 ARCA Racing Series championship.

Sauter drives the No. 21 Allegiant Airlines Chevrolet truck for GMS Racing. Brisco is the driver of the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford truck for Brad Keselowski Racing.

On Friday, the two drivers will be on the 7/8-mile track at Iowa Speedway when the green flag flies at 7 p.m. It is the 11th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in the history of the Newton track.

“There’s a lot of things I like about the Iowa track. Number 1 is it is close to home,” Sauter said, who is from Wisconsin. “It’s been a really good race track for me until the past couple of years.

“We’re looking to get back to running well there this weekend.”

Sauter said the race track has changed a lot over the years, gaining character with the bumps. It presents more of a challenge to him of late, he said.

“When a track challenges you like that, you want to get back on the right side of it. I look forward to getting it going again there,” Sauter said. “It’s a fun race track with close quarter racing, but also it’s big enough to get the speed.”

In 2016, Sauter finished 10th at Iowa. He is one of three veteran drivers who have had 10 starts at Iowa.

Matt Crafton, who is third in driver points, and Timothy Peters, who is 11th, have race wins at Iowa. Peters has been to Victory Lane twice and Crafton has one victory.

Sauter said his success in 2016 and so far in 2017 goes back to the GMS Racing Team as a whole. He said GMS drivers have had great trucks to race with and tremendous teams to work with.

“It’s a package deal. GMS is building great race trucks and bringing them to the race track each week. I get to drive them,” Sauter said. “Ultimately, it is about being around a good group of guys, and this is the best group of guys I’ve been around.”

Sauter won at Dover on June 2. Under the new racing format of three stages per race this season, he has had four stage wins.

Brisco has moved up into the Truck Series in 2017. He has been close to victories the past two weeks, settling for second. He has won the pole position in two races.

“There’s a learning curve. A truck does not drive like an ARCA car,” Brisco said. “The trucks are bigger and boxy and react differently on the track. I’m getting the feel of the truck and working my way into position to challenge for a win.”

Brisco came with two other of BKR rookie drivers when the team did track testing at Iowa in April. He just watched.

“Even by watching and observing how the other drivers and trucks respond to a track helps. You can always learn by watching,” Brisco said. “I know about the bump between Turns 1 and 2 at Iowa from my ARCA racing, but the trucks respond to it differently.”

Brisco said what Austin Cindric and Justin Haley and the BKR team learned in April was shared throughout the team. He said racing is a team sport and each driver is out to win but also to help fellow team drivers.

Sauter said talked about racing as a team sport also. He said the Truck Series has 32 teams competing at each race.

“We like to have fun together, but when it’s time to get down to work, we realize it and do the work,” Sauter said. “I believe the GMS team is hitting on all cylinders coming into Iowa.”

Sauter said the new format of stage racing has pros and cons to it, but it has proven to add a new layer to the competition. Drivers want to put on the best show on the track for fans and the stage racing is providing more flair to races.

“You really work for track position in each stage so the action intensifies at the end of each stage,” Sauter said. “There’s a lot of strategy working. This year that has worked for us and against us.”

Sauter said has raced at all three national NASCAR levels. He said the Truck Series is a perfect fit for him.

“As a father of three with one on the way, the Truck Series works well for me. I have the best of both worlds — spending time with my family and doing something I love to do,” Sauter said.

Brisco said has been around racing all his life. He is the grandson of Richard Brisco, a legendary sprint car owner, and his father was a sprint car driver.

“I like the people involved with the sport. I’m enjoying the Truck Series. I love short track racing so coming to Iowa will be exciting for us,” Brisco said.

Will the veteran or the rookie be better at short-track racing Friday at Iowa Speedway? Fans will find out as the NCWTS M&M’s 200 rolls on the track.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com