Sauter gets the call, and gets Haas CNC into race

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- The plan was for crew chief Dave Skog to tell Johnny Sauter he was in the race the first time the red and black Chevrolet passed underneath the flag stand at Phoenix International Raceway. But as Sauter took the white flag in qualifying, all he heard over the radio was silence.

"I was like, 'Uh, oh,'" Sauter said later.

Johnny Sauter

Cup results at Phoenix

Year	Car	Finish	Status
2004	09	39	crash
2005	09	9	running
	09	39	suspension
2007	70	9	running
	70	15	running

• Sauter: 2007 results

He was going to have to pick it up if he wanted to qualify for his first Sprint Cup event of 2008. And he did just that, gaining three-tenths of a second on his final lap Thursday to sneak into the field for Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500. Sauter was the last car to make a qualifying attempt, and his lap of 130.482 mph was good enough for the 42nd starting spot -- and send the No. 45 car of Petty Enterprises home early for the third consecutive race weekend.

But for Sauter, it was much bigger than that. Thursday represented a vindication of sorts for the 29-year-old Wisconsin driver, who was fired from Haas CNC Racing after finishing 30th in final points last year. But his old team called upon him again this week after firing Jeremy Mayfield, who fell outside the top 35 in owner points and placed the No. 70 car's starting berth in jeopardy. Haas CNC needed a driver with some Phoenix experience, and Sauter -- with three top-15 finishes at the mile track, including a ninth-place result last spring -- fit the bill (read more).

No matter that they had fired the guy just five months ago. Sauter, who was released from his Nationwide ride with Phoenix Racing last month, needed a ride. The parting with Haas CNC had been harmonious enough. He was ready to race again.

"This sport is so competitive and so hard, people have to make changes sometime, whether you agree or disagree with them," he said. "They've got to do what they've got to do to get their program better. Unfortunately, a driver change can be part of that. You know, we parted amicably, and they did everything they said they were going to do when we parted ways. I kept my mouth shut like I should have, not that I had anything to say. That's not even it. That's a good team, they have good equipment, good people. They're trying, that's all I can say."

But still, he was surprised when they called.

"Yeah, I guess I was," he said. "There are some good drivers on the sideline. I think I got the nod because I was familiar with the program. It just means a lot to me that they thought enough of me as a driver to come back and try and make the show on time like we did. A little bit surprised, but happy? Absolutely."

And relieved. Sauter had to catch his breath after he climbed out of the car. "I forgot how nerve-wracking that really is," he said. Especially Thursday, with Sauter drawing the final of 45 qualifying attempts, knowing it was down to him or Kyle Petty. After Sauter's second-lap speed was announced over the radio, crewmen standing near Petty's car simply slipped off their earphones and looked at one another. The No. 45 car missed its third consecutive event after slipping outside the top 35 at Bristol, with Petty also failing to make the show at Martinsville and fill-in Chad McCumbee coming up short last week at Texas.

But there was no such disappointment for Sauter, who earned slaps on the back from his crewmen and a big hug from his wife. It was a good day all around for the Haas CNC team, which also saw driver Scott Riggs qualify 10th. So much of it felt familiar -- even the qualifying setup, which Sauter had used at Phoenix last spring.

"These teams out here, they're all building good equipment, they're all trying. You can't lose sight of that, and I feel like maybe in the past I have," he said. "Maybe we could have done things differently, any organization in general. I think I've grown up a lot, absolutely. There are some things just better left unsaid. Look here, I was out of a job and now I'm driving a car and I'm back in the Sprint Cup Series. That's what it's all about."

He's back in Sprint Cup -- but for how long? Right now, the deal with Haas CNC is just for Phoenix. Sauter doesn't know if he'll be back in the No. 70 at Talladega in two weeks. But just the fact that his old team called was enough.

"To me, it means the world," he said. "It's just good that people have enough faith in me and put their team and organization that's in jeopardy of not making races, and they called me. To me, that means more than anything I think right now at this point. We're going to race good -- or at least I think we should -- because I've always raced well here. It just means a lot. There's no other way to describe it."