Johnny Sauter signs deal to drive 13 truck of ThorSport

In a generally depressed motorsports economy heading into the 2009 season, ThorSport Racing and Johnny Sauter are ecstatic over the multi-year deal the driver signed with the growing Camping World Truck Series team based in Sandusky, Ohio.

Sauter, 30, of Necedah, Wis., will drive ThorSport's No. 13 Chevrolet that was driven in 2008 by Shelby Howard to 17th in the point standings, with a single top-five finish and two top-10s.

Sauter

The team, owned by Ohio businessman Duke Thorson and his wife, Rhonda, enters its 14th year in the series and will again field the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet for veteran Matt Crafton, who'll be in his fifth year with the team.

Sponsorship for the No. 13 remains to be announced.

Thorson's business model has enabled his team to make a net gain of four employees to start this year, along with improving its shop facilities. At the start of this week the team had 11 trucks in its shop while four others were either at the wind tunnel or at a chassis shop in North Carolina.

"I think it's phenomenal what resources ThorSport continues to put forth," Sauter said. "Duke has established himself as not only a good businessman, but a great competitor in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It's a great opportunity to be part of his program."

Sauter, who has 11 career Truck Series starts, ran one series race in 2008 while making nine Sprint Cup Series starts and 12 in the Nationwide Series, where he has three career victories.

ThorSport team manager David Pepper, who'll also spot for Sauter, is as enthused as his new driver.

"We won a race in 2008 and I definitely feel like we can win some more this season," Pepper said. "Matt Crafton is a proven commodity -- he's been in the top 10 in the championship four of the last five years -- and we've added another driver who knows how to win races at this level.

"In five years working with Duke's teams I've never been this excited about starting a season. I wish we were testing so people could see what we've built over the winter."

Sauter comes into a series that's in a definite state of flux, as Camping World assumes the role of title sponsor after Craftsman held that title for the series' first 14 years.

Defending champion Johnny Benson has switched teams and will race for Red Horse Racing in 2009, as the status of the former Bill Davis Racing organization, which includes inaugural series champion Mike Skinner, is uncertain. Germain Racing, which fields Toyotas driven by 2006 champion Todd Bodine, is searching for sponsorship.

The Kevin Harvick Inc. team that fields Chevrolets for 2007 champ Ron Hornaday is the series' most solid operation, but Sauter says that doesn't give him a break.

"There's no doubt that the complexion of the series has changed, however there's still at least 15-20 different trucks that can win any given race," Sauter said. "So while we may have less trucks total, I believe the competition side will remain the same. What I know for a fact is that ThorSport has always been competitive and will continue to be in 2009 and beyond."

Sauter said that, unlike last season when he picked up rides with a number of teams, he was happier to be concentrating on his ThorSport opportunity.

"I'm just thankful to have this full-time opportunity," Sauter said. "Doing what I love -- racing.

"Matt has tremendous knowledge and he's had great success in this series, and I'm looking forward to learning from him and bouncing ideas off each other. There's nobody better than Matt to get me up to speed in this series. He's more than willing to share his knowledge, and that is invaluable to me."

Crafton said Sauter's addition to the team bodes well for their prospects.

"I'm looking forward to having Johnny as part of our team, and I'm confident he'll do well in this series," Crafton said. "He brings lots of experience and has those intangibles that are important to success. Hopefully, I can help make it a smooth transition for him, and at the same time, there's a lot I can learn from him, too. I think we'll make a great team."

"Duke has established a strong, winning organization at ThorSport, and I'm thankful he's given me this opportunity," Sauter said. "All of the pieces are lined up for great things to happen. This is a great group of guys with a fierce determination to succeed, and I'm excited to be a part of it. I can't wait to get going."