Johnny Sauter, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader and defending series champion is headed to Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois for Saturday’s Drivin’ for Linemen 200. And he’s bringing two GMS Racing teammates: Justin Haley and Kaz Grala. The trio of Chevrolet drivers have experienced mixed results on GMP’s unique 1.25-mile oval.
Sauter, a second-generation driver from Necedah, Wisconsin, has raced a handful of times at GMP and never has finished out of the top five. After an eighth-place showing at last weekend’s Texas race, Sauter leads Christopher Bell by 40 points.
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Gateway,” Sauter said. “It’s certainly not an easy track by any means, but for whatever reason I’ve had a lot of success there. Having a win takes a little bit of pressure off of our team, but with that being said, I’d feel even more comfortable with a few more before we reach the playoffs. I can’t say enough about the work that everyone at GMS Racing and GMS Fabrication puts in to get these trucks running as well as they are. Because of that, I think you’ll see a lot more from GMS as a whole this season, not just the 21 team.”
Justin Haley’s first and only visit to GMP came in 2016. He scored his third top-10 finish of the 2017 campaign last week in Texas. The Indiana native is the 2016 NASCAR K&N Series East champion.
“Gateway is one of the trickier tracks we go to,” Haley said. “Turns one and two are sharp with a long, sweeping three and four. Usually you can get the set up figured out at one end but you’ll wind up being tight in the other. It’ll be tough to work out a perfect balance. We’re just going to have to stay a step ahead of the track all weekend and capitalize on the positive momentum we’re carrying over from Texas.”
Boston native Kaz Grala also is a GMP one-timer but he left St. Louis last year with a top-10 finish. Grala has a big win in his 2017 portfolio: Daytona in February. He currently is in eighth place in the point standings.
“I’m really excited for Gateway,” Grala said. “It’s a neat little track. I got to run it last year in a truck and finished eighth. That was one of my favorite tracks that I got to run. Each end of the track has slightly different banking, one has curbing and one really doesn’t. You’re basically driving each end like it’s its own track. It’s a challenge for setup but at the same time, that’s what makes it interesting to drive.”
GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sauter, Haley and Grala, and the NASCAR XFINITY Series with Spencer Gallagher and Ben Kennedy. Since the team’s start in 2014, GMS Racing has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, North Carolina. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication.
Update: Saturday’s Drivin’ for Linemen 200 also has a late entry. Jordan Anderson of Columbia, South Carolina will compete in his No. 1 Chevrolet with sponsorship by the Bommarito Automotive Group (St. Louis). Bommarito also will sponsor GMP’s INDYCAR race in August.
Tickets for the June 17 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 are on sale and may be purchased at the GMP ticket office, by phone at (618) 215-8888 or online at www.gatewaymsp.com. General admission tickets start at just $36 and kids 15 and under are free (general admission).
Official entry list for June 17 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200
0 Jennifer Jo Cobb, Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet
02 Austin Hill, Randco/Young’s Building Systems Ford
1 Jordan Anderson, Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet
4 Christopher Bell, JBL Toyota
006 Norm Benning, Chevrolet
8 John Hunter Nemechek, Chevrolet
110 Bryce Napier, ASAP Appliance Service Chevrolet
13 Cody Coughlin, JEGS Toyota
16 Ryan Truex, Dierberg’s/Bar Harbor Foods Toyota
18 Noah Gragson, Switch Toyota
19 Austin Cindric, Draw-Tite Ford
21 Johnny Sauter, Allegiant Airlines Chevrolet
124 Justin Haley, Chevrolet
27 Ben Rhodes, Safelite Auto Glass Toyota
29 Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation Ford
33 Kaz Grala, Kiklos Chevrolet
136 Kevin Donahue, Nano Pro MT/UNOH Chevrolet
44 TBA, Shawn Magee Designs Chevrolet
145 T. J. Bell, Black Riffle Coffee Co. Chevrolet
49 Wendell Chavous, Chevrolet
51 Todd Gilliland, Pedigree Toyota
63 Kyle Donahue, Chevrolet
66 Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
68 Clay Greenfield, 1-800PAVEMENT Chevrolet
183 Todd Peck, Chevrolet
88 Matt Crafton, Menards Toyota
98 Grant Enfinger, Ride TV Toyota
199 TBA, Chevrolet
Last Update: June 13, 2017 — 11:15 a.m. CDT
Official entry list for the ARCA Midwest Series Illinois Lottery 40
O4 Natalie Decker, Eagle River WI, Toyota
0 Andy Jones, Gurnee IL, Toyota
2 Gregory Borchardt, Prior Lake MN, Chevrolet
5 John Beale, Verona WI, Chevrolet
7 John DeAngelis Jr., Hubertus WI, Ford
7 Paul Shafer Jr., Portage IN, Chevrolet
8 Brent Kirchner, LaCrosse WI, Chevrolet
14 Austin Nason, Roscoe IL, Ford
15 Dean LaPointe, Marshfield WI, Ford
18 Michael Ostdiek, Lakeville MN, Chevrolet
20 Jim Sauter Jr., Tomah WI, Ford
35 Travis Dassow, West Bend WI, Toyota
36 Dan Fredrickson, Lakeville MN, Toyota
39 Andrew Morrissey, DeForest WI, Ford
42 Dennis Prunty, Knowles WI, Toyota
44 Justin Mondeik, Gleason WI, Chevrolet
45 Rich Bickle Jr., Edgerton WI, Chevrolet
52 Ricky Baker, Plainfield IL, Ford
75 Mike Beyer, Machesney Park IL, Ford
77 Jonathan Eilen, Hampton MN, Ford
91 Ty Majeski, Seymour WI, Ford
99 Cole Rouse, Fort Smith AR, Toyota
99 TBA, Toyota
119 Dalton Zehr, Daytona Beach FL, Chevrolet
Received: June 12, 2017 — 1 p.m. CDT
Tickets for the June 17 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 are on sale and may be purchased at the GMP ticket office, by phone at (618) 215-8888 or online at www.gatewaymsp.com. General admission tickets start at just $36 and kids 15 and under are free (general admission).
Saturday, June 17 — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 schedule
8:30 a.m. — Spectator parking lots open.
9 a.m. — Spectator gates open.
9 a.m. — Climbin’ for Linemen competition begins (infield).
9:30-10:25 a.m. — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 practice.
11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m. — Final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 practice.
1:30-2:30 p.m. — Illinois Lottery 40 ARCA Midwest Tour practice and qualifying.
2-2:45 p.m. — NASCAR driver autograph session (infield, near scoring pylon).
2:30-4:30 p.m. — Free concert by The Band Steele on the midway.
4:45 p.m. — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 qualifying.
5:45 p.m. — ARCA Midwest Tour Illinois Lottery 40 driver introductions.
6:10 p.m. — ARCA Midwest Tour Illinois Lottery 40 (40 laps, 50 miles, timed event).
7 p.m. — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 driver introductions.
7:30 p.m. — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 (160 laps, 200 miles).
Schedule is subject to change.
Twitter hashtag: #D4LM200
For more information on Gateway Motorsports Park, please call (618) 215-8888 or visit www.gatewaymsp.com. Follow GMP on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.
About Gateway Motorsports Park
Gateway Motorsports Park is the home of INDYCAR, NASCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 340 acres, Gateway Motorsports Park is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. Gateway Motorsports Park’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, the 1.6-mile Circuit of St. Louis road course, a state-of-the-art Karting facility and a 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-road venue.