Sauter and his No. 13 Fun Sand-Rodney Atkins/Curb Records Chevy crew have displayed strength thus far this season, with trucks in the thick of contention most weeks. Sauter expects to compete for wins and top-5 finishes each time out, and says the effort at Kansas is but a glimpse of the team's potential.
"It meant a lot to the guys to get that first top-10 finish, because we've had great trucks and felt it was just a matter of a little time before things came together for us," Sauter said. "There's no doubt the work the guys are doing will pay off for us."
Sauter thrives on the excitement that racing at one of NASCAR'S highest-profile tracks—and under the lights, no less—provides.
"I love racing at Charlotte," he said. "This is a big race for all of these teams. There's a lot of excitement in the air. The race is at night, which brings a certain added energy to the scene, it's the 'home track' for many teams, and it brings some cool bragging rights if you're fortunate enough to win the race. Charlotte is just one of those extra-special races that gets your blood pumping. It's about running wide-open, from qualifying thru the race. The track will have a ton of grip, and the driver that can hold the throttle open the longest may win the race."
Sauter's teammate, Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Menards Chevy, won the race last year, and Sauter would like nothing better than to keep the winner's trophy in the race team 'family'.
"It's cool that Matt won this race last year, and I'm a little bit envious," said a chuckling Sauter. "It's a place where any driver would love to win, for all of the history and what it means. We're bringing the same truck we had at Kansas. Hopefully, it will be fast when we unload and we can just tweak it a little and be right where we want to be, with a strong shot to win the race."
