NASCAR Season Review: Johnny Sauter

Johnny Sauter wasted no time trying to qualify for the first-ever Camping World Truck Series Chase by winning the 2016 season opener at Daytona. Sauter edged ahead of the field on the final lap -- and just in time before the caution flag flew for a wreck that included Christopher Bell barrel-rolling through Turn 1. Bell was OK after the 'Big One,' and Sauter had his 11th win in the series and first for GMS Racing.

Sauter's first and only pole win of the season came in June at Texas Motor Speedway when he posted a fast lap of 180.024 mph at the 1.5-mile track. Sauter was competitive throughout the race, spending 117 of the 167 laps running in third place or better. Sauter, who led nine laps, ultimately finished third, behind race winner William Byron and Matt Crafton.

After advancing past the Round of 8 with top-10 finishes at New Hampshire, Las Vegas and Talladega, Sauter kicked off the Round of 6 with a victory at Martinsville. Sauter held off Chase Elliott to finish ahead by .316 seconds and take the checkered flag. Sauter rebounded from a last-place finish at Martinsville in the spring to lead 50 of the 200 laps in the fall and punched his ticket to the Championship 4.

One week after winning at Martinsville, Sauter took the checkered flag at Texas. Sauter passed Matt Crafton with two laps to go and held on for a .836-second victory, his second in a row in the Chase and the third of his career at Texas. Sauter started 16th and led only six of the 147 laps, but it was enough to capture the 13th Truck Series win of his career.

Sauter started further back in the field than any of the other Championship 4 contenders on Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but with less than 25 laps to go, the driver of the No. 21 GMS Chevrolet passed Matt Crafton and never let go. William Byron won the race, but Sauter completed his quest for the championship by finishing third. It was the Wisconsin native's first title in a NASCAR national series.

Info taken from NASCAR.com.