Johnny Sauter clocked some of the fastest speeds all weekend for Busch Series testing. Credit: Don Bok/Motorsports Images and Archives

Sauter excited after strong Daytona test

No. 00 driver led all but one single-car Busch session

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After driving for some of the best owners in NASCAR in his brief time near the peak of the sport, Johnny Sauter said this weekend he's in the midst of his best opportunity yet.

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Sauter was definitely pumped after his No. 00m Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet was atop the Preseason Thunder speed charts in all but one test session for single cars at Daytona International Speedway.

He was in that position Sunday morning, when about 10 of the 46 teams present had already left the facility. Sauter clocked in at 49.115 seconds, an average speed of 183.243 mph.

Rounding out the top-five speeds in the morning were Joe Nemechek in the No. 87b NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet (181.807 mph), Danny O'Quinn in the No. 50 Roush Racing Ford (181.660), Ron Hornaday in the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevy (180.983) and Denny Hamlin in the No. 20b Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy (180.830).

Jason Keller's No. 1a Phoenix Racing Dodge was the fastest Charger in 13th (180.298).

It was the fourth consecutive session Sauter had led, but it wasn't lost on Sauter that Dale Earnhardt Jr. had posted the fastest lap of the test in the first single-car session Friday morning at 48.947 seconds, 183.872 mph.

Earnhardt won three consecutive 300-mile Busch Series races at Daytona, from 2002-2004, before finishing third last year behind fellow Nextel Cuppers Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick.

Johnny Sauter has high expectations after a good test at Daytona. Credit: Autostock

Sauter, 27, the youngest of three Wisconsin native brothers who tested here this weekend, was beside himself with pleasure at the performance of his Hendrick Motorsports engine and chassis package fielded by Gene Haas' crew.

"It's a dream come true, not only to be at this level, but to be in competitive equipment," Sauter said. "I've got all the confidence in the world in [crew chief] Harold Holly and our support from Hendrick Motorsports."

Haas' team is Sauter's fourth address in three seasons -- but the constant has been he's won a pole or a race for each of his last four teams. Still, Sauter claims there's no time like the present.

"Everything's coming to fruition so far," Sauter said. "It's a pleasure to work with Harold and all the people at Haas. It makes my life a lot easier, [and] I think it's a sign of things to come this year the way we've been running here.

"This is probably the biggest opportunity of my career. I look for us to be in the hunt to win somewhere in the ballpark of five races and definitely contend for the championship. That's definitely our goal."

If Sauter had any doubts about his car in the draft, they were erased Sunday, when he was fourth behind Jeff Burton in the morning session and third behind Jon Wood in the afternoon.

"I've won races for three different teams over the last couple of seasons, been in three different kinds of atmospheres I guess, and this just seems right for me -- this is the ticket," Sauter said. "When I first came to this level I was pretty naïve about the way things worked, [and] my biggest problem over the last couple of seasons has been consistency week in and week out.

"My seasons have always had that roller coaster feeling, [so] I need to be consistent. Being able to do that for 35 races is tougher than people think. I have everything around me now that I need to be consistent."

Burton's No. 21a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was fastest in the morning draft at 48.909 seconds, 184.015 mph.

Rounding out the top-five speeds were RCR teammate Clint Bowyer in the No. 2 Chevy (183.854 mph), Hamlin (183.677), Sauter (183.393) and Paul Tracy in the No. 34 Cicci Racing with Jim Kelly Chevy (183.091).

The fastest Dodge was Keller's in sixth (182.815 mph), and the fastest Ford was O'Quinn's in 13th (181.587).

Wood's No. 47 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford was fastest in the afternoon draft at 48.126 seconds, 187.009 mph.

Rounding out the top-five speeds were Hamlin (186.827), Sauter (186.780), Nemechek (186.598) and Carl Edwards in the No. 60a Roush Racing Ford (185.789).

The fastest Dodge was Jamie McMurray's No. 64 Rusty Wallace Inc. Charger in seventh (185.536).

NASCAR stock cars are absent from Daytona until the entries in the Budweiser Shootout enter the track on Thursday, Feb. 9.

Nearly a dozen drivers with NASCAR connections will compete this weekend at the "World Center of Racing" in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the season opener for the Grand-American Rolex Sports Car Series.

Afternoon drafting speeds