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Kansas: Johnny Sauter race report

Sauter Drives to Impressive Victory in Kansas Kansas City, Kan. (May 2, 2010) -- Despite contact from another truck and bouncing off the retaining wall with 12 laps to go, Johnny Sauter drove the ThorSport Racing No. 13 In Country Television/What ...

Sauter Drives to Impressive Victory in Kansas

Kansas City, Kan. (May 2, 2010) -- Despite contact from another truck and bouncing off the retaining wall with 12 laps to go, Johnny Sauter drove the ThorSport Racing No. 13 In Country Television/What A Horse/Curb Records Chevrolet to victory in Sunday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. Even with the late-race drama Sauter dominated the race, leading four times for a race-high 101 laps before gliding under the checkered flag 5.032 seconds ahead of runner-up finisher Ron Hornaday. The jubilant ThorSport Racing crew greeted Sauter with a cake to the face in victory lane as the win comes the day after his 32nd birthday.

The excitement started when Sauter was leading into turn three on lap 155. Hornaday looked to the inside in a battle for the lead. As the duo approached the turn, the lapped truck of Mario Gosselin was in the low groove and Hornaday attempted to make it three wide. Hornaday wiggled and slipped up the track, barely touching Sauter in the left rear quarter panel. Both trucks went sliding sideways, with Sauter making slight contact against the wall with the right rear bumper. Both drivers were able to maintain control and the incident did not draw a caution flag. Once back under control, Sauter calmly drove away from Hornaday to claim his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory. He also won last September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"That's just incredible," Sauter said in victory lane. "I was a little upset when it happened, thinking Hornaday got us again. But we were able to keep it pointed in the right direction and thankfully we didn't do any damage to the truck or burn up the tires. I think that's what happened to Ron when he slid down the banking he gassed it up and burned the tires up. After that he couldn't run with us. I am so proud of this team -- we've had a little bad luck to start the season but they never got down and they never gave up. We worked hard to get this truck right after Nashville. We were so bad there that you wouldn't have even known we were in the race, and with all the hard work by Joe Shear and the guys here we are in victory lane."

The win puts Sauter back into the thick of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship battle. He's now fifth, just 117 points behind leader Timothy Peters and just 20 points behind fourth-place Hornaday.

"Right now I'm not even thinking about points," Sauter said. "Joe thinks about it but I am here to win races. If we can get a few more of these this season like I think we can, the points will take care of themselves."

Next up for Sauter and the No. 13 ThorSpor

-source: tsr

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