Johnny Sauter Bio
Jonathan Joseph Sauter (born May 1, 1978) is an American professional stock car racing driver who has spent more than two decades competing across NASCAR’s top national touring series. He last raced part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 66 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. A member of one of NASCAR’s most recognized racing families, Sauter built a reputation as a tough, hard-nosed competitor known for short-track racing craft and a willingness to battle for every position.
Early Life and Background
Sauter was born on May 1, 1978, in Necedah, Wisconsin, where he continues to make his home with his family. He grew up surrounded by racing, as the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter. His brothers, Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter, also pursued professional driving careers, and his nephew Travis Sauter followed the family into the sport as well. Racing was woven into daily life in the Sauter household, and the young driver began cutting his teeth on short tracks across the Midwest from an early age.
After graduating high school in 1996, Sauter began competing in amateur and Sportsman division events throughout Wisconsin. By the end of 1997, he had collected three wins in the Sportsman Division at Dells Raceway Park and added a Late Model victory at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway. Those early short-track results helped him sharpen the race craft that would later define his professional career.
Path to NASCAR
Sauter moved up to the American Speed Association (ASA) National Tour in 1998, and by 2001 he had captured the ASA Series Championship, earning the ASA National Tour Rookie of the Year honors along the way. His ASA title caught the attention of top NASCAR teams, and Richard Childress Racing invited him to drive the No. 21 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet in a handful of NASCAR Busch Series races that same year. Sauter responded with a fifth-place finish in his series debut at Richmond, signaling that a young driver from Necedah was ready for the next step.
Johnny Sauter Career
Early Career (2001–2004)
Following his ASA title, Sauter graduated to NASCAR’s national series with Richard Childress Racing. In 2002, he ran a nearly full NASCAR Busch Series schedule in the No. 2 AC Delco Chevrolet and scored his first career Busch Series victory at Chicagoland Speedway in the Tropicana Twister 300. A year later, he added another Busch Series win at Richmond in the No. 43 and helped the No. 21 team capture the owners’ points championship alongside Kevin Harvick.
Sauter also made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut in 2003 with Morgan-McClure Motorsports and later took over the No. 30 American Online Chevrolet at Childress for a partial Cup schedule in 2004. He split his time that season between Cup efforts and a full Busch Series run with Brewco Motorsports, finishing 18th in series points. The early years gave Sauter a chance to learn from one of NASCAR’s most respected teams and prepare for a run at full-time national-level competition.
Cup and Busch Series Run (2005–2008)
Sauter moved to Phoenix Racing full-time in 2005 and earned a Busch Series win at his home track of Milwaukee. He then joined Haas CNC Racing in 2006, where he posted one pole, nine top-ten finishes, and matched his previous best of eighth in series points. He also made his first Coca-Cola 600 start that season, finishing 24th in Cup competition.
In 2007, Sauter moved to the No. 70 Haas entry and added two more top-ten finishes, though he slipped to 30th in the standings. After rejoining Phoenix Racing in 2008, he was released just five races into the season. He then spent the rest of the year as a substitute driver, piecing together starts across Cup, Busch, and Truck Series teams as he searched for a steady ride.
Truck Series Breakthrough (2009–2015)
Sauter found a home in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2009, replacing Shelby Howard in the No. 13 FunSand truck for ThorSport Racing. He promptly won his first Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and was named Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year. Over the next several seasons, he became one of the most consistent winners in the series, adding victories at Kansas in 2010 and Martinsville in 2011.
He added a Truck Series win at Texas in 2012 as part of a ThorSport 1–2 finish alongside Matt Crafton. In 2013, he opened the year with a victory at Daytona International Speedway, helping Toyota reach 100 Camping World Truck Series wins, and followed it with a win at Martinsville to become only the second driver in series history to win back-to-back season openers. Between full-time Truck duties, Sauter also returned to his Wisconsin roots in 2015, winning ARCA Midwest Tour events at Madison International Speedway and State Park Speedway.
GMS Racing Era (2016–2018)
On October 15, 2015, Sauter announced he would join GMS Racing for the 2016 season. He won in his very first start with the team at Daytona and then added wins at Martinsville and Texas to advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A third-place run in the finale was enough to clinch the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, the defining achievement of his career.
He backed up the title with another strong 2017 season, winning at Dover and Chicagoland and advancing again to the Championship 4 at Homestead, where he finished second in the standings by just one point to Christopher Bell. In 2018, Sauter opened with his third career Daytona win and added victories at Dover, Charlotte, Texas, Bristol, and Martinsville to claim the Truck Series Regular Season Championship before finishing fourth in the final standings.
ThorSport Racing Era (2019–Present)
On January 9, 2019, GMS Racing announced it had parted ways with Sauter, and he quickly returned to ThorSport Racing to drive the No. 13. He won at Dover in May but was later parked by NASCAR at Iowa for an on-track incident with Austin Hill, costing him playoff momentum. A dramatic apparent win at Talladega was taken away when NASCAR penalized him for blocking below the yellow line on the final lap, handing the victory to Spencer Boyd.
After winless 2020 and 2021 seasons, Sauter was moved to a part-time role at ThorSport. He ran the 2022 season opener at Daytona with G2G Racing in the No. 47 truck and made a season-finale start at Phoenix with Young’s Motorsports. In 2023, he rejoined the Truck grid with Roper Racing, taking over the No. 04 truck for the latter half of the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Sauter built his reputation as a hard-charging short-track specialist who excelled on tight, abrasive surfaces like Martinsville, Bristol, and Iowa. His aggressive but calculated race craft made him a regular contender on flat tracks and intermediate speedways, and he paired well with veteran ThorSport crew chiefs who leaned on his short-run pace. His willingness to mix it up in late-race battles, even when the result cost him, became a defining part of his on-track identity.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his 2016 Truck Series title-clinching run at Homestead-Miami Speedway, three career wins at Daytona International Speedway, and back-to-back season-opening victories at Daytona and Martinsville in 2013. His famous last-lap battle with Kyle Busch for the 2011 Martinsville win remains one of the most dramatic finishes in modern Truck Series history.
Johnny Sauter Career Wins
Across NASCAR’s three national series, Sauter has recorded multiple wins, with the bulk of his victories coming in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He is one of only a handful of drivers to win Truck Series races at Daytona, Martinsville, Bristol, Dover, Texas, Kansas, and Las Vegas.
Craftsman Truck Series Highlights
Sauter’s first Truck Series win came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2009. He went on to win at least one Truck race in nearly every season that followed, peaking with three wins in 2013 and five wins in 2018 on his way to the Regular Season Championship. His most recent Truck Series victory came during the 2018 season at Martinsville, capping a dominant regular-season run.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond the Truck Series, Sauter scored two NASCAR Busch Series victories, including wins at Chicagoland Speedway in 2002 and Richmond in 2003. He also captured the 2001 ASA National Tour Championship and picked up regional Late Model and ARCA Midwest Tour wins at Wisconsin tracks such as Madison International Speedway and State Park Speedway in 2015.
Johnny Sauter Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Sauter comes from one of NASCAR’s most enduring racing families. His father, Jim Sauter, was a longtime NASCAR competitor, and his brothers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter both forged their own careers in stock car racing. His nephew, Travis Sauter, has also followed the family into the sport, making the Sauters a multi-generational racing household.
Personal Life
Sauter lives in Necedah, Wisconsin, with his family. Outside of racing, he enjoys flying, fishing, and playing the banjo. He is of the Catholic faith.
2025 Season Performance
As of 2025, Sauter is not competing full-time in any of NASCAR’s three national touring series. After transitioning to a part-time role with ThorSport Racing and running select starts with G2G Racing and Roper Racing in recent seasons, he has focused on a reduced Truck Series schedule. His current on-track plans for 2025 have not been formally announced.