Mess with the bull, you get the horns.
A phrase that needs little explanation, especially when it’s coming from someone like Johnny Sauter, who isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes to win.
RELATED: Sauter’s intense post-race interview
After celebrating in Victory Lane at Chicago, Sauter, the 2016 series champion, addressed perhaps the key question of the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series Playoffs — How do the veterans feel about the youth movement happening in the series?
Sauter’s response: He isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone, even drivers who are half his age.
The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs field is a melting pot of two veteran drivers, one being Sauter, and six fast-rising young guns who are trying to jumpstart their early careers.
MORE: Analyzing the full field
Ben Rhodes, driver of the No. 27 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra, addressed the topic with NASCAR.com after Sauter said “If Ben Rhodes wants a piece of it, let’s go” post-Chicago.
“I’ll make sure to bring my leather gloves,” Rhodes told NASCAR.com. “I’ll wrestle the cattle up. I ain’t scared. He can be a bully all he wants, it doesn’t intimidate me.”
With a championship on the line, all eight drivers — no matter the age — want to win it all.
Will experience be a factor? Will the motivation to make a statement be the key?
The journey begins at New Hampshire on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).