NASCAR Truck Series driver Johnny Sauter raced an unusual tripleheader

NASCAR Truck Series driver Johnny Sauter raced in three different events this past weekend. He won one, finished top 10 in another and contended in the other.

On May 1, Johnny Sauter celebrated his 40th birthday. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage, he is a veteran. Yet the 2016 series champion raced in more races than just the one in his full-time series this weekend.

In NASCAR, the term tripleheader refers to a driver who competes in all three major series races in one weekend. Sauter raced in a tripleheader, but not in the conventional sense that would have included a Truck Series race, an Xfinity Series race and a Cup Series race.

On Friday, May 4, he ran in his full-time series, the Camping World Truck Series. The following day, as a result of Spencer Gallagher’s suspension, he filled in as the replacement driver for GMS Racing’s #23 Chevrolet entry in the Xfinity Series. Finally, on Sunday, he returned to his home state of Wisconsin to compete in the opening race of the ARCA Midwest Tour season, the Joe Shear Classic 200.

Johnny Sauter won the JEGS 200 Friday, May 4 after leading 137 of 210 laps in his GMS Racing #21 Chevrolet. He avoided the Jordan Anderson and Justin Fontaine incident and fended off a late charge from Noah Gragson. He also held off an overtime challenge from Matt Crafton. With his victory, he is the current series points with 238 points and 12 playoff points.

The following day, Johnny Sauter competed in the Xfinity Series. The OneMain Financial 200 was his first Xfinity Series race since the summer race at Daytona four years ago. Sauter qualified his #23 GMS Racing Chevrolet in 11th place. During the race, he raced three-wide with John Hunter Nemechek and Austin Cindric, passing both just before they made contact, causing a caution. Additionally, NASCAR busted him for an uncontrolled tire on pit road, but Sauter persevered to finish sixth.

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The next morning, Sauter flew from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Madison, Wisconsin, where he competed in the opening race of the ARCA Midwest Tour in #5 entry. His racing helmet displayed Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff, a GMS Racing sponsor. Unlike his NASCAR races, he was not locked into this event. Sauter failed to make the feature in qualifying and then his heat race. He did not finish in the top three in the last chance qualifier, so he used a provisional to make the field.

As pre-race ceremonies began, Sauter was the last driver on track due to his team making a carburetor change. Despite starting last, he steadily made his way to the front. At the halfway mark, he was in seventh place.

Continuing his charge to the front on lap 120, Sauter was in fourth place. Going into turn four on lap 184, he bumped second place driver Jonathan Eilen and Eilen got loose. Just as Eilen straightened himself out, Sauter made contact with him once again, this time spinning himself. By rule, both drivers were sent to the back of the pack. Sauter instead furiously exited the track, ending his day with an 18th place finish.

After the race, Sauter met fans, signed diecasts, took pictures, gave autographs, etc. He wore an Allegiant hat, a nod to GMS Racing sponsor Allegiant Airlines. I took a picture with him and congratulated him on his finishes the past two days. I asked him how he felt after racing a tripleheader, and he responded that he was tired. When asked if he would return to North Carolina, he informed me that he has a house in Wisconsin, where he would stay for a few days.

In summation, Johnny Sauter finished his two NASCAR races with a victory and a top 10 finish. While he did not finish as well as he hoped in the ARCA Midwest Tour race, he overcame early struggles to drive an impressive feature race and arguably had one of the top cars. With his performance this weekend, he has earned his rest.

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Be sure to tune in Friday, May 11 to see Johnny Sauter and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers race in the sixth race of the season, the 37 Kind Days 250, from Kansas Speedway at 8:30 pm ET. It is set to be broadcast live at that time on that date on FoxSports 1. As always, make sure to check out Beyond the Flag for all our motorsports results and highlights.