BRISTOL, Tenn. – Johnny Sauter made a statement during Thursday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular-season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway: the championship goes through him.
Sauter won his series-best fifth race of the season by dominating the final stage of the UNOH 200, leading 51 of the final 70 laps and crossing the line .236 of a second ahead of Stewart Friesen.
While he clinched the regular-season championship and the 15 playoff points that came with it just by taking the green flag, Sauter wanted to win and muscled his way to the front when it mattered most.
“I wasn’t worried that I gave it away; I just got a little too tight,” Sauter said in victory lane. “As the run went on there, I started snapping loose off the corner, but I’m so proud of this team. The guys did a great job and I knew we had a great truck today. What a way to cap off the regular season with a win. I had to race really hard against the (No.) 52 (Friesen) there and that was pretty exciting. I’m thankful to have been able to hold him off at the end.”
Thursday night’s performance marked Sauter’s 22nd career Truck Series win, but his first at Bristol after 10 prior attempts, something that Sauter noted was “super special” to him.
“I’ve never won at Bristol before. I’m so pumped,” he said. “This is the ultimate. For a short track guy … or someone who considers himself a short track guy, to get a win at a place like this is so special. Everyone knows the history of this place and I knew we had a great truck today. I just can’t thank everybody enough. I’m just pumped up, man. What a way to start out the run for the championship.”
John Hunter Nemechek was the driver who manhandled the night and appeared to be the favorite to collect the victory, sweeping the first two stages and leading a race-high 104 laps, but Nemechek was shuffled back to fourth following his final pit stop and spent most of the last stage fighting from behind.
With the final stage running caution-free, it was Noah Gragson who jetted out to the top spot when the green flag waved for good with 77 to go, but Sauter wasted little time in rallying back and resumed command out front just seven circuits later.
From there, he darted in and out of traffic with masterful ease, despite Nemechek working back into second soon after Sauter retook the lead and stalking the 2016 Truck Series champion as the laps wound down.
Nemechek finally pounced in heavy traffic with 24 to go, pinning Sauter behind a slower truck on the bottom and sweeping around the outside to take the lead. He drove off quickly and appeared to have the race well in hand, but then slowed with reported fuel pump issues at the five to go mark.
That allowed Sauter to muscle his way back to the front of the field, and the wily veteran never looked back after that, keeping a late charge by Friesen at bay to increase his playoff points haul to 42 entering the postseason.
Friesen crossed the line second and described his late scuffle with Sadler as “a ton of fun.”
“Johnny always races me hard and that was a couple badass Silverado’s going at it,” Friesen said. “The lapped traffic was playing to our advantage until they moved up. Still, that was probably the most fun I have had all year … bumping and grinding for a win like that.
“There are no better guys to race with than John Hunter and Johnny. We’ll take this and march on to the playoffs.”
Nemechek hung on for third despite his troubles in the final laps. Parker Kligerman had a huge run for Henderson Motorsports and finished fourth, with Todd Gilliland rallying from a spin on lap 68 to complete the top five.
Justin Haley was sixth ahead of Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, Noah Gragson and Grant Enfinger.
Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Gragson, Rhodes, Haley, Enfinger, Friesen and Crafton were the eight drivers who qualified for the playoffs following the conclusion of Thursday night’s regular season finale.
All but Crafton had clinched their spot in the postseason by the time the race began, with Crafton having to sweat it out through the 200 laps and vulnerable if a driver outside the top eight won the event.
Gilliland came the closest with his fifth-place finish, while Dalton Sargeant was 11th.
Myatt Snider ran strong early in the night but spun after contact with Gragson at the end of the second stage and hit the inside wall. He eventually retired from the race and finished 29th.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs begin on Aug. 26 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
