Last year, Johnny Sauter, driving the No. 43 Chevy for Curb-Agajanian Racing, bumped Matt Kenseth into the wall and out of the way in the final turn to win at Richmond. Credit: Autostock

Pulling triple duty, Sauter aims to reclaim RIR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Johnny Sauter began the 2004 season with an ambitious schedule and high hopes.

Now that the racing year is almost over, expectations have diminished. So has the schedule. And so have the results.

EMERSON RADIO 250 •   Entry List •   Last year's race •   Complete Race Coverage

But Sauter is still plugging away, aiming to complete the season with a victory or two.

This weekend, Sauter gets three chances at winning. That's right, three. He'll run Thursday's Craftsman Truck Series race, Friday's Busch Series race and Saturday's Nextel Cup race.

His best shot at victory, though, may be in Friday night's Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Sauter is still full time in Brewco Motorsports' Busch car, and he is the race's defending champion.

You remember that race, when Sauter used the bump-and-run on Matt Kenseth to win. That's the way Sauter likes to drive, and Richmond is conducive for that kind of racing.

Johnny Sauter Credit: Autostock

"I can't wait to get back to Richmond," Sauter said. "I won this race last year, and I know this team can put me back in Victory Lane. It fits my driving style really well. I like to run hard each and every lap. I'm not the kind of guy who sits back and waits until the end to make my move, and that's what it takes to do well at Richmond. You've got to be on 'go' for 250 laps."

Sauter will certainly be in the go this weekend, competing in three races in three nights. That's 850 laps around Richmond's .75-mile oval, if you're counting.

"I've got three great rides, and I know I'll be competitive in each race," Sauter said. "When you got a chance to win three races in one week, that gets you pretty excited. All I can think about is getting out there and going racing. You know, if there was a fourth race there this weekend, I'd probably enter that one too."

Richmond has long been one of the drivers' favorite tracks, and Sauter is one of its admirers.

"There's not another track out there like Richmond," Sauter said. "It's unique unto itself. A lot of places we go have a cookie cutter feel to them, but definitely not Richmond. It's fast like a big track, but has all of the bumping and banging of a short track.

"It's a lot like the short tracks that I spent many a Saturday night racing at, especially since it's under the lights. It should feel just like old times out there."

The hardest job for Newt Moore, Sauter's Busch Series crew chief, may be keeping the young driver calm for the entire race. Pushing and shoving may be one of Sauter's favorite things to do, but you can do too much.

Credit: Autostock

"The main thing to remember when you're preparing your car is that it's going to take a beating," Moore said. "All of the parts, inside and out, are going to have a lot of stress put on them throughout the night. It's a pretty tough place on racecars, so you've got to make sure that it's going to hold up in the long run.

"There's always a lot of wrecks at Richmond, but there's really not a lot that you can do about that. I'm hoping Johnny's car is going to be good enough that he doesn't have to worry about getting tangled up with someone else's mess. Hopefully he'll be far enough ahead where all he'll have to worry about is the lapped cars."

That's possible, but based on Sauter's stats for 2004, that doesn't seem likely. After winning in the Busch Series the last two seasons, Sauter seemed primed for a big year.

He joined Brewco Motorsports as a teammate to David Green, and then was hired as Richard Childress Racing's driver of the No. 30 car. Sauter would run the full schedule in both series -- at least that was the plan.

Eventually, though, the Busch ride won out, and Sauter crawled out of RCR's 30 car. But his Busch Series season has been fraught with problems. Sauter has five DNFs, including three engine failures. He sits a disappointing 19th in the points standings with only five top-10 finishes.

There have been flashes of brilliance, like runner-up finishes at Daytona, Nashville and Indianapolis. More often, however, there have been disappointments.

Maybe this weekend will be different.

"We've come so close to winning races this season, but just haven't finished the job," Sauter said. "I'm confident that we can take care of that this weekend. I love the car we're taking. It's my favorite one out of the Brewco stable. Every time we use it, it runs awesome. If it can stay in one piece for the whole race, I think we'll end up with a great finish."