BRISTOL, Tennessee -- Tim Sauter brought the MAC Tools Chevy back from a mid-race spin to post a 17th place finish in the Food City 250 NASCAR Busch Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday. Sauter was caught up in the crash after he was left with nowhere to go by a 12-car pileup in Turn 1.
"We had a Top 10 car, but we kept coming up short on track position," said Sauter. "In a survival race like Bristol, you have to be prepared to fight back if you spin. That's just what the team did today. With a little luck you would have seen a top finish, but I was pleased to have such a strong car."
Sauter qualified 28th, for the 250-lap event, with a lap of 15.885 seconds (120.793 miles per hour) on the .533-mile Bristol oval. From the drop of the green flag, Sauter and his MAC Tools Chevy maintained their position narrowly avoiding a 10-car accident on Lap 35.
Sauter felt the handling of the No. 19 MAC Tools Chevy was coming too him. Unfortunately, Sauter was left with nowhere to go when he was hit from behind in a 12-car pileup on Lap 44. The damage to the red No.19 MAC Tools Chevy proved to be only cosmetic, and Sauter restarted the race minus a bumper in the 30th position.
"Everybody checked up. I got hit in the rear and spun," said Sauter. "I hate it because this was one of the stronger cars I had all year."
Down a lap, but up to speed with the leaders, Sauter charged through the field and was up to the 22nd spot when the fifth caution fell on Lap 148. The AP Performance Racing crew pulled off another lightning quick four-tire stop gaining Sauter an additional two positions in the pits. Still not on the lead lap, Sauter found himself in 18th position, running the same lap times as the leaders.
Sauter soldiered on the final 50 laps, picking up another position to end the day in the 17th spot. The finish earned him $16,605 in prize money and advanced him past brother Johnny Sauter to the 13th point's position.
Sauter will look for a little better luck and the same strong performance when he tackles one of the toughest tracks in NASCAR at Darlington Raceway. Sauter and AP Performance Racing will take the green flag in the South Carolina 200, Saturday, August 31, at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The event will telecast live on TNT and broadcast worldwide on MRN Radio.
For more information on Tim Sauter and AP Performance Racing Team, please visit www.timsauter.com.
ABOUT AP PERFORMANCE RACING…
AP Performance Racing debuted in 1992 as an American Speed Association entry with team owner Alec Pinsonneault as the driver. The Windsor, Ontario based team notched 16 ASA victories and a pair of division titles with Tim Sauter (1999) and Johnny Sauter (2001) delivering the championship trophies. Now housed in a state of the art facility in Mooresville, NC, AP Performance Racing will field a full-time NASCAR Busch Series effort in 2002 with Tim Sauter again handling the driving chores. AP Performance Racing is a division of AP Development. Also in the family of AP companies are Build A Mold, A.P. Tool and Gauge, Moldplas, Inc, Trimplas, LTD, Trimplas 2 and Trimplas 2000. For more media information, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities concerning AP Performance Racing, please contact Bobby Wooten at Motorsports Management Group at 704-454-5353 ext. 28 or by e-mail at bgwootenmmg@aol.com.
