Johnny Sauter enters the American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta on Saturday seeking his first top-10 finish of the season.
Despite strong trucks at Daytona, where he ran near the front of the pack for much of the race, and California, Sauter caught a couple of unlucky breaks and finished 27th and 17th, respectively, in those races. He is confident Saturday will bring a different result.
"We had top-10 trucks in both races, and coming out of the box, you can't ask for any more than that," Sauter said. "The speed is there, and now we just have to put a whole day together."
According to Sauter, patience is vital to success.
"As they say, 'Rome wasn't built in a day," he said. "We know our trucks are strong, and we just had some misfortune. We'll keep digging, and we're confident our luck will turn around this weekend."
In 10 career starts at Atlanta, Sauter has one top-10 finish.
"Atlanta is a fun place to race," he said. "From a racer's standpoint, I look forward to the speed this track brings. It's exhilarating, especially during qualifying. During the race, the tires seem to wear out and you start to slip around pretty quickly, which puts things in the driver's hands a little more. It's all about the grip here. At some tracks, you're pinned on the bottom all day long, and if you're truck is off a little bit, there's nothing you can do. This place has a bunch of grooves, so you can always find a place to race. It's exciting to race here, and I'm looking forward to showing what we're capable of."
Sauter is enjoying his first full-time run in the NCWTS.
"This series is so competitive," he said. "It's a lot of fun. You have probably twenty trucks that can win any given race, so you don't have any margin for error. With the shorter races in this Series, there's the added emphasis on getting where you're going quicker."
Sauter believes the No. 13 Fun Sand/Rodney Atkins/Curb Records Chevy is right on track.
"We've got a great bunch of guys on this team, and everybody is dedicating and working hard," he said. "It's just a matter of building some consistency, and we know we can get on a nice roll. Hopefully, that will start this weekend."
