NASCAR-CTS: Milwaukee is Home Sweet Home for Jay Sauter - Diehard 200
1 July 1999
Race: Diehard 200 Location: The Milwaukee Mile Date: July 3, 1999 Time: 2:30 p.m. EDT Television: CBS Radio: MRN
Notes:
When Jay Sauter, driver of the No. 3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevy Silverado, takes to The Milwaukee Mile this week it's "Home Sweet Home" for the 37 year-old Wisconsin native in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The one-mile circuit is the only time that the NCTS race in Wisconsin. Sauter has had success at the track. He finished second the first time that he raced in NCTS event here in 1997. And was on his way to a win last year. He was leading the race when he had an encounter with a lapped truck that caused him to eventually finish in 14th.
The Diehard 200 at the one-mile speedway, held on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. EDT, marks the NCTS halfway point of the 1999 season. This is the third season that Sauter has driven the GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevy fielded by Richard Childress Racing. In 1997, Sauter's first season with RCR, his records midway through the season found his average starting position at 19.15 and his average finish 12.69. Midseason last year, his average start was 12th and his finishes 11.36. Sauter's current stats show improvement over both of the two previous years. He has started with an average of 9.75, including his first-ever Bud Pole Award, and has finished 10.17.
At the present time Sauter is tied with Mike Wallace for seventh place in the NCTS point standings. Both competitors are only 195 points behind current leader Jack Sprague who has tallied 1850 points so far this season. A note of interest, in 1998 at this same point in time Sauter was ranked sixth in the NCTS point standings and was 358 points behind the leader and eventual champion Ron Hornaday.
Quotes:
GM Goodwrench Service Plus driver Jay Sauter's thoughts on going home:
"It would be tremendous to win at The Milwaukee Mile. We are real capable of doing that this year. I feel like we've got the Chevy Silverado to do it.
The track is unique to me because of the races that I have seen here as a young boy. I watched my dad (Jim Sauter). I saw A.J. Foyt running USAC races here. I watched Bobby Allison run and Alan Kulwicki got his start in the area. There is so much history here.
There is pressure running at The Milwaukee Mile though. I want to do well here. I want to run well in front of the people that I know. The Wisconsin race fans are the greatest race fans on this earth. I think that I put more pressure on myself to do good here than anyone else does. It is always a comfortable feeling to come home and get back to The Milwaukee Mile."
Jay Sauter and the No. 3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus NASCAR Truck Team Milwaukee, Wis. Performance Record
Date Start Finish Money 1998 7 14 $ 7,5501997 3 2 $28,675
Jay Sauter is currently tied for seventh place with Mike Wallace in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Point Standings
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