Sauter extends Truck contract

Johnny Sauter has signed a multi-year contract extension with ThorSport Racing.

Sauter has won nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in five years with the team, including the first two of the season this year. He is fourth in the series championship entering Friday night’s season finale.

"Johnny Sauter has been an important part of the success of ThorSport for the last five years," team co-owner Duke Thorson said. "With Matt Crafton's Truck series championship, Frank Kimmel's ARCA title and getting Johnny re-signed we have a lot to look forward to in 2014."

At Homestead Friday night, ThorSport will field three trucks for the first time since Iowa Speedway in July. The same three drivers who appeared in ThorSport's Toyotas in Iowa will race Friday night.

Crafton, who can clinch the 2013 Truck series drivers' championship by taking the green flag at Homestead, Kimmel and Sauter will be on-track teammates for the second time this season.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to extend my time with ThorSport Racing," Sauter said. "It's a great organization and it's been a perfect fit for me. … And with (sponsor) Nextant Aerospace joining our program -- and looking ahead to two years of racing for wins and championships with them, Carolina Nut and Curb Records -- needless to say the sky's the limit.

"We've had competitive trucks all season and if not for that bit of turmoil we had in the middle of the season there's no reason we wouldn't be in a position to be racing Matt for this 2013 championship."

Sauter has nine wins in 129 career series starts. He has 70 top-10 finishes, 48 of them top fives.

"I'm looking forward to running for race wins and a championship in 2014 and beyond," Sauter said. "The guys give me great trucks week in and week out, and I see nothing but great things in our future."

Sauter has 414 career starts across all three NASCAR major national touring series.