“We won a race in 2008 and I definitely feel like we can win some more this season. Matt Crafton is a proven commodity - he's been in the top 10 in the championship four of the last five years - and we've added another driver who knows how to win races at this level. In five years working with Duke's teams I've never been this excited about starting a season. I wish we were testing so people could see what we've built over the winter,” said ThorSport team manager David Pepper.
Crafton brought ThorSport Racing their first Truck win in 10 years last season, after clinching the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. He seems like the best opportunity for Sauter – who has only started 11 times in the Truck Series before – to make a strong argument in his first full season in the series.
“Matt has tremendous knowledge and he's had great success in this series, and I'm looking forward to learning from him and bouncing ideas off each other. There's nobody better than Matt to get me up to speed in this series. He's more than willing to share his knowledge, and that is invaluable to me,” admitted Sauter after being confirmed in ThorSport's lineup for 2009.
Sauter scores one Top 5 finish and made two Top 10 appearances in the Truck Series throughout his 11 starts in the championship (only one in 2008). He also made 195 starts in the Nationwide Series (3 race wins) and 76 Sprint Cup appearances.
“I'm looking forward to having Johnny as part of our team, and I'm confident he'll do well in this series. He brings lots of experience and has those intangibles that are important to success. Hopefully, I can help make it a smooth transition for him, and at the same time, there's a lot I can learn from him, too. I think we'll make a great team,” said Crafton about his new teammate.
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