Top-10 run moves Sauter, No. 70 up in owner points

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Johnny Sauter was in a hurry all night, and it didn't stop even after the race ended. Moments after crossing the finish line ninth in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, Sauter parked his No. 70 Chevrolet in front of the hauler, hopped from the car, grabbed a bottle of water and sprinted for his motorhome.

"I've got to catch a plane," he explained as he hustled through the garage area.

Lap-by-Lap

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Out of breath for now, Sauter and the team will be able to breathe a little easier at Talladega. Clinging to the 35th and final guaranteed starting spot coming into the weekend, Sauter needed a good finish to keep Ken Schrader (36 points behind at the start of the evening), Scott Riggs (43 behind) and Dave Blaney (55 behind) at bay.

His top-10 finish, coupled with trouble for many of those chasing the No. 70 -- as well as some in front -- allowed Sauter to move up six spots to 29th, 58 points ahead of Casey Mears, who now assumes the 35th-place position.

Riggs couldn't avoid the early race accident involving David Ragan and David Stremme, while Blaney crashed late while trying to get to pit road.

"It's good night for us," Sauter said. "A lot of the guys who were behind us and nipping on our heels had trouble, so that's good. That should help, a top-10. That's good for a new team."

The key to Sauter's night was hitting the correct setup right off the bat. Sauter passed 22 cars in the first 60 laps, taking advantage of two long green-flag runs.

"We started 42nd and were able to get up to 20th or so," he said. "The car was good enough on the first run that I was able to pass half the field and that's what got us in position."

From that point, Sauter's charge fizzled. However, when several of the leaders made green-flag stops in the final 40 laps, Sauter opted to stay out -- and when the yellow flew for the crash involving Blaney and J.J. Yeley, Sauter was able to take advantage of the situation.

He jumped to 11th following a final round of pit stops, then moved past Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards in the closing laps to cement his first top-10 finish in a Nextel Cup race since 2005, when he was ninth at Phoenix in a James Finch Dodge.

"We really struggled the rest of the night, but the way the pit stops and everything worked out, it worked in our favor so that's good," Sauter said. "We're still off a little bit but it was a lot better than I thought it would be, so I'll take it."