Pepsi 300 - Tim Sauter Notes

Tim Sauter Nashville Notes

Tim Sauter Hopes to Make Music Again in Nashville

Every time Tim Sauter goes into the office of his Necedah, WI home, he is reminded of winning a big race in the music city. The famous Gibson guitar that hangs on the wall is the reward for winning the ASA (American Speed Association) race at the Nashville Fairgrounds in 2000. “I’ve won a lot of races over the years and I don’t get all sentimental over trophies and such, but that is one I am really proud of,” Sauter said. “I think anyone that has been fortunate enough to win one feels the same way. I would love nothing more than to have another one hanging right next to it.”

Sauter has had several subsequent opportunities to win a guitar in the NASCAR Busch Series. In 2002 Tim finished tenth in the spring race at the then new Nashville Superspeedway, and was running near the top five during the summer race when a broken rocker arm ruined his chance at another Gibson trophy. “We had a good car that night. I really thought we had a chance to get that first Busch Series win. We had qualified seventh and the car was so strong. The range of emotion you go through when that motor starts missing is hard to describe.”

The 2002 Pepsi 300 is also a memorable race as it was the first time the three Sauter Brothers all finished in the top 15 of a NASCAR Busch Series race, with Tim finishing highest in tenth place. “Jay was splitting the RCR team’s #21 with Jeff Green, Johnny was in Childress’ #2 car and I was in the AP Performance #19. I guess I won that round, but Johnny’s been pretty hot lately so Jay and I have a little catching-up to do,” said the smiling Sauter. Johnny and Jay finished twelfth and fifteenth respectively that afternoon.

Lester Buildings will be back as the primary sponsor of the McGill Motorsports Chevy this weekend and Lester Buildings’ Tom Borgman is excited about this weekend’s race, saying “This is the first stand-alone race for the Busch cars in 2006. We are looking forward to the extra exposure that the Busch teams will finally receive. It's very frustrating that, for the first seven races, you have to put up with 15 to 18 Cup drivers per race, who steal the thunder from some of our marketing efforts. We're looking forward to Tim having a good run with some additional exposure this weekend!"