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BUSCH: Jay Sauter with new team in 2006

JAY SAUTER NAMED TO DRIVE FOR WESTERN UNION SPEED TEAM ASHEVILLE, N.C., Oct. 11, 2005 - Keith Duesenberg & Leik Motorsports announced their driver line-up for the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Season. Jay Sauter will drive the No. 01 Western ...

JAY SAUTER NAMED TO DRIVE FOR WESTERN UNION SPEED TEAM

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Oct. 11, 2005 - Keith Duesenberg & Leik Motorsports announced their driver line-up for the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Season.

Jay Sauter will drive the No. 01 Western Union Speed Team Chevrolet Monte Carlo for a minimum of 25 races, and Dwayne Leik will drive in select events throughout the season.

The Western Union Speed Team begins its NASCAR campaign the weekend of February 18, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

Sauter hails from Necedah, Wis., with a strong family tradition of racing. His father and two of his brothers have competed in NASCAR events. A veteran driver with 4 wins, Jay has posted strong finishes in the top five and an outstanding top ten finishing percentage of over 50% while competing in the NASCAR Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. Sauter's first year in Busch he also competed for Rookie of the Year honors.

"When we were putting our team together, Jay's name was on our list from the start. As we kept looking at drivers, his name continued to stay on our list. We are very confident in Jay and the many talents that he brings to the Western Union Speed Team," said Keith Duesenberg.

Dwayne Leik has been involved with racing since 1986; he left behind a successful career in the financial field in 1993 to pursue his lifelong interest in auto racing and moved to North Carolina.

Leik's business background allowed him serve as a business manager for Marcis Racing, owned by veteran driver Dave Marcis. Learning the sport from every aspect Dwayne worked diligently for that first racing start. Leik was impressive in his first start in an ARCA race. Since then Dwayne has raced in ARCA, NASCAR Winston West, NASCAR Supertruck and NASCAR Busch circuits, concentrating primarily on the larger speedways.

"The length of the NASCAR Busch season is very demanding and with the competition being extremely intense we felt that going with two drivers would be beneficial for the Speed Team program, in terms of development, communication and support," said Keith Duesenberg, "Both Dwayne and Jay work well together and we hope to surprise a lot of drivers and teams next year."

Jay Sauter Bio

Jay Sauter is no stranger to the world of NASCAR racing. The veteran driver, who comes from a family rich in racing tradition, has raced in NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Busch and Cup Series events throughout his racing career.

Sauter began traveling to races with his father, legendary short track driver Jim Sauter, at the age of 12. He spent his time at the track working in the pits. When he wasn't at the racetrack, Sauter spent time working in his father's Necedah, Wis., race shop where he learned all aspects of building and maintaining race cars.

By the age of 16, Sauter had built his first race car and began his racing career on the short tracks of Wisconsin. He advanced through the ranks of the Sportsman Division and Super Late Models before moving on to the American Speed Association's AC Delco Challenge Series. Sauter established himself as a contender in the AC Delco Challenge Series with two wins and several top-five and top-10 finishes, and also managed to catch the eye of owner Felix Sabates.

In 1996, Sabates gave Sauter the opportunity to run a partial schedule in the newly created NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In just eight Craftsman Truck Series starts, Sauter managed two top-five and five top-10 finishes. In this time he also impressed NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, who offered him a full-time Craftsman Truck Series ride in the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet. In three full seasons with Richard Childress Racing, Sauter tallied four wins, two poles and numerous top-five finishes.

Sauter left RCR and began racing in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2000, running for rookie-of-the-year honors against Kevin Harvick and Ron Hornaday. Sauter spent two full seasons with Agajanian-Curb Motorsports before reuniting with Richard Childress Racing in 2002. In his second stint at RCR, Sauter shared a Busch Series ride with Jeff Green and was a teammate to younger brother Johnny Sauter. The brothers were able to bring their sibling rivalry to the track, racing against each other and against his brother Tim Sauter, who also competes in the Busch Series.

In addition to racing in the Busch Series, Sauter made two NASCAR Cup Series starts in 2002, with his first coming in April at one of his favorite racetracks -- Texas Motor Speedway.

Sauter has spent the past few seasons running races in the Busch Series and in the Craftsman Truck Series. He also serves alongside his father as one of four full-time test drivers for the Crown Royal IROC Series.

When not racing, Sauter enjoys spending time with his wife and three children at their Wisconsin home.

-duesenberg-racing.com

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