NASCAR Truck Series: Johnny Sauter wins 2018 UNOH 200

Johnny Sauter earned his fifth victory of the 2018 NASCAR Truck Series season in the final race of the regular season, the UNOH 200.

GMS Racing’s Johnny Sauter entered the 2018 NASCAR Truck Series season finale, the UNOH 200, at Bristol Motor Speedway with four victories in the season’s first 15 races. He added to that total with his fifth victory of the season, picking up momentum heading into the seven-race playoffs as the regular season champion.

Sauter won the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) Bristol Motor Speedway oval in Bristol, Tennessee in his #21 Chevrolet by 0.236 seconds over second place finisher Stewart Friesen of Halmar Friesen Racing in his #52 Chevrolet after starting in fourth.

NEMCO Motorsports’ John Hunter Nemechek and Henderson Motorsports’ Parker Kligerman rounded out the top four in third and fourth place in their #8 Chevrolet and #75 Chevrolet, respectively, giving Chevrolet a top four sweep of the finishing order.

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Nemechek appeared to be well on his way to victory before his truck slowed down with just five laps to go, allowing Sauter to pass him for lead and Friesen to pass him for second place before Sauter led the race’s final five laps.

Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Todd Gilliland, who spun and went one lap down early on in the race, was the highest finishing Toyota driver of the race. He finished in fifth place in his #4 Toyota.

GMS Racing’s Justin Haley finished in sixth place in his #24 Ford. ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes was the highest finishing Ford driver of the race. He finished in seventh in his #41 Ford.

ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton, Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Noah Gragson and ThorSport Racing’s Grant Enfinger rounded out the top 10 in eight, ninth and 10th place in their #88 Ford, #18 Toyota and #98 Ford, respectively.

The race featured a total of six lead changes among four drivers. Aside of Sauter, who led 58 laps of the race, three drivers led at least one lap of the race. Those drivers were Nemechek, who led more laps than anybody else in the field with 104 laps led, Gragson and race polesitter Christopher Bell. Nemechek won both stages one and two.

The race also featured a total of five caution flag periods for 38 laps. Of those caution flag periods, three took place as a result of on-track incidents and the other two took place as a result of the endings of stages one and two like usual. Of the 32 drivers who started the race, 28 finished it, but of the 28 drivers who finished it, only 11 finished it on the lead lap.

Here are the full race results of the 2018 UNOH at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The next race of the 2018 NASCAR Truck Series season is the first race of the playoffs. That race is the Chevrolet Silverado 250, which is scheduled to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 26 from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.