Short Track Brings Tim Sauter Back to His Roots

BRISTOL HERE WE COME!
Short Track Brings Tim Sauter Back to His Roots

In the 1970’s Jim Sauter was one of the most popular drivers in central
Wisconsin, racing as often as five nights a week. Back then, sons Tim
and Jay often traveled with their father.  It was during this time that
Tim grew a passion for short tracks and their exciting side-by-side
racing action.  Once he began his own driving career, Tim followed in
his fathers’ footsteps, eventually becoming the ASA (American Speed
Association) National Champion in 1999, a series that ran entirely on
short tracks.
This week, Tim will be in a place, Bristol, Tennessee, that “feels just
like home.” Commenting on this weekend’s Sharpie Mini 300, Sauter says,
“I just can’t wait to get to Bristol. We struggled so badly last week at
Atlanta and there’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned short track
to help get this McGill Motorsports program firmly established in the
points. I really feel this team should be finishing in the top 20 every
week. Now it’s time for us to prove that.”
Bristol has been one of Tim’s best tracks since he began racing in the
NASCAR Busch Series back in 2000. He has top 20 finishes in all but one
Bristol race, including a 9th in March of 2001. He knows that the
competition will be a little tougher this weekend with nearly 15 Cup
drivers attempting to make the race. “I don’t have the answers but
NASCAR needs to do something. I like driving with the Cup guys but we
just need an even playing field,” Sauter explained. “One thing I don’t
think is fair is the Cup guys practice with Saturday track conditions in
Cup happy hour then they can make adjustments to their car before Busch
qualifying,” he continued. “That’s something NASCAR could easily change.
If you’re running the Cup race, your Busch car should simply get
impounded before you go out for Cup happy hour. Lester Buildings and
John McGill are trying so hard grow this program…we just want the same
chance to be competitive.”
• This will be Tim’s 89th start in the NBS and 94th career NASCAR start.
• All three Sauter brothers will attempt to make the Sharpie MINI 300.
• This will be the fifth time Tim has competed at Bristol Motor Speedway
in the NBS.
March 2001 – Cheez-It 250  - Finished 9th, started 26th.
March 2002 – Channellock 250  - Finished 16th, started 33rd.
August 2002 – Food City 250 - Finished 17th, started 28th.
August 2003 – Food City 250 - Finished 21st, started 36th.
Tim’s thoughts on Bristol Motor Speedway and the Sharpie Mini 300:
“Running Bristol is a lot of fun, it’s a lot narrower than it appears
and that’s part of the reason wrecks happen so fast. There’s only one
other track I know of that resembles Bristol and that’s Slinger back
home in Wisconsin.”
• This will be the sixth time McGill Motorsports has competed at Bristol
in the NBS.
August 2003 – Driver; Steve Grissom, - Finished 26th, started 34th.
March 2004 – Driver; Steve Grissom,  - Finished 15th, started 39th.
August 2004 – Driver; Travis Geisler, - Finished 30th, started 38th.
March 2005 – Driver; Stanton Barrett, - Finished 37th, started 30th.
August 2005 – Driver; Stanton Barrett, - Finished 42nd, started 34th.
McGill Motorsports will run the Lester Buildings banner for 20 of the
remaining races on the 2006 Busch Series schedule. The team is actively
seeking primary sponsorship for upcoming events including April 8th at
Texas and April 21st at Phoenix.  Contact John McGill at 440-914-4206 or
visit www.mcgillmotorsports.com to learn more.
PR contact Perry A. Hintz, 262-763-1672 or phintz36@wi.rr.com