Lengthy delay for Las Vegas 350 start (Janelle Jalbert)
Johnny Sauter won his first Camping World Truck Series race Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Though he is the leading rookie in the series, Johnny Sauter is a NASCAR veteran who has raced in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup ranks.
"It's unbelievable, man," Sauter said. "This is a big deal for me. Last year at this time, all I was doing was start-and-parks in the Nationwide Series. We've had speed all year, but we haven't been able to close the deal. Our truck has been phenomenal for the last two months."
Sauter took the lead coming out of turn two on lap 130 and went on to cross the line 2.47 seconds ahead of his ThorSport Racing teammate, Matt Crafton, who finished in second.
The night the lights went out at Vegas
The start of the Las Vegas 350 was delayed when the Speedway lights in turn one went out and officials had a hard time getting them lit again. The field came down pit road for an extended stay in order to avoid fuel issues once the green flew.
The starting line up had Todd Bodine on the pole, with eventual race winner, Sauter on the outside. The rest of the top-10 included: Jason White, Ron Hornaday, Colin Braun, Rick Crawford, Ricky Carmichael, Matt Crafton, and Mikey Kile.
Practice, earlier in the day, hinted at strong showings from some drivers who have not dominated headlines. Skinner and Sauter led the first practice with White, Bodine and David Starr rounding out the top-5. In the second session, Sauter was top of the chart with Carmichael, McCumbee, White and Terry Cook following. While Sauter’s presence at the top of the practice charts was a glimpse into the future, Terry Cook struggled all night with multiple, long stays in the pits.
When the green flag finally flew, the racing got heated quickly. Pole sitter, Bodine, slid up the track in turn two on lap 33 and lost 12 spots. Carmichael and Max Papis make contact, ruining Carmichael’s high hopes from practice.
By lap 80 of the 146 total, the running order was Hornaday out front, Bodine, Sauter, White and Crafton in the top-5. The field settled into running pretty much nose-to-tail around the 100-lap mark.
A yellow on lap 119 for Brian Scott’s downed right front and wall contact, proved to be ill-timed for current point leader, Hornaday because he did not see the lead the rest of the race. Seven laps later, Lance Hooper spun through the grass in the tri oval but got it going to avoid another yellow. Four laps later, Sauter took the lead straight to the checkers.
Sauter’s win not only headlined a team 1-2 finish but also marked Chevy’s 150th win in the truck series. Third went to White. Bodine, Timothy Peters, Hornaday, Skinner, Aric Almirola, Brian Ickler, and Tayler Malsam round out the top-10.
Hornaday maintains the points lead with 197 points over Matt Crafton. Skinner, Scott, and Sauter, who jumped two places with Saturday’s win make up the top-5 in the CWTS standings.
The Camping World Truck Series is dark until the 21st of 25 races this season on October 24th in Martinsville.
For more information on NASCAR Truck Series racing, check out:
Hornaday aims to remove the bagel at Las Vegas
Johnny Benson's return to CWTS thanks to Kyle Busch?
Hornaday can expect more forays into the red mist
Janelle is a native of Southern California who follows a variety of racing formats. She finds the competition between hard-driving veterans and rising stars in the NASCAR Truck Series some of the best in the top tier racing. Janelle has been published in print and online, covering topics in both sports and academics. She also serves as the Southern California Motorsports Examiner. Send Janelle an e-mail, and follow her on Twitter.
Comments