Together with his 14-year-old son’s schedule already introduced, , the 2016 NASCAR truck champion from DeForest, concedes his 2025 racing plans are up within the air.
He is for Penn, who turns 15 subsequent week, and with backing from ThorSport, the crew for which .
He’ll additionally construct one for himself.
“No matter meaning, I don’t know,” Sauter mentioned Friday night time. “However you may’t race for those who don’t have stuff sitting there. So I can’t make a plan for myself personally, and the NASCAR world, I don’t have a clue what’s occurring there. Individuals name you typically two weeks earlier than they want you, or generally the week-of, so proper now we’re simply targeted on him.”
The game has modified markedly since Johnny was Penn’s age, with enterprise savvy changing into more and more essential and know-how changing the seat-of-the-pants really feel and hands-on engineering. Johnny is a throwback, he freely admits, and at 46, he isn’t about to alter.
The place is attending to the monitor after which getting round it, the best way his late father, Jim, and brothers Jay and Tim did a era in the past.
“He enjoys it, and he’s fairly good at it,” Sauter mentioned. “Clearly, that’s what I grew up round, is racing and dealing on race vehicles. So it’s even enjoyable for me. So yeah, so long as he’s having time doing it, we’ll preserve doing it.”
The elder Sauter picked up the pair’s first racing victory Friday, albeit on the ice in a one-lap tricycle relay race teamed with Josh Bilicki, on the ’ motorsports night time on the UW-Milwaukee Panther Enviornment.
Beforehand, the collaborating drivers spoke with reporters. Listed here are different highlights.
Josh Bilicki cobbles collectively NASCAR offers and is ‘blessed to be within the place’
Apart from beginning off the season with the beginning of his first baby – due early subsequent month – Josh Bilicki expects his racing schedule to look very like current years’ have. The 29-year-old from Richfield is in his ninth season of piecing collectively offers that enable him to make a residing in racing.
He’ll do a lot of the Xfinity Collection season with , and a few Cup Collection races. And, hopefully, just a few races with a high-level Xfinity or Tenting World Truck Collection crew. And the Chili Bowl midget race subsequent week. And a few dash automotive races nearer to house.
“My purpose actually was to run both full time within the Xfinity Collection or the truck collection, or put collectively a extremely aggressive alternative with 5 to 10 races at (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) or a Spire (Motorsports) truck,” Bilicki mentioned. “On the finish of the day, it prices some huge cash. You have a look at a man like Chandler Smith, who has slightly little bit of self-funding, and even he gained a pair races in a Gibbs automotive, and he nonetheless out a trip.
“You recognize, I sadly rely solely off sponsor {dollars} to go race, and I’m nonetheless simply very blessed to be within the place I’m, or I’m nonetheless capable of make it a profession, and I feel it’s gonna be an incredible 12 months.”
Sam Mayer turns the web page within the Xfinity Collection
After spending virtually a 3rd of his life with Chevrolet and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s groups, Franklin native Sam Mayer is beginning a brand new chapter in his racing profession this season with Ford and Haas Manufacturing unit Workforce within the NASCAR Xfinity Collection.
Mayer, 21, has gained seven instances within the division for JR Motorsports, with the primary victory coming in 2023 at Street America in Elkhart Lake.
“Chevrolet has taken care of me and accomplished a variety of nice issues for me,” he mentioned. “It’s simply everybody loves Chevrolet, and everybody’s been part of Chevrolet, and there’s no seats within the Cup Collection with drivers which can be shifting on to the subsequent a part of their life.
“So Ford form of simply got here throughout my desk, and it was a possibility that would result in Cup Collection alternatives and actually strong racing alternatives sooner or later to be a Cup Collection champion and the Xfinity Collection champion perhaps right here on the finish of the 12 months.”
Haas is a start-over program after the dissolution of Stewart Haas Racing when champion driver Tony Stewart received out of the NASCAR enterprise. Mayer will probably be teamed with Sheldon Creed in Xfinity, whereas Cole Custer strikes again into the Cup Collection.
Nolan Siegel is seeking to construct in his first full season with Arrow McLaren
A 12 months in the past thought he’d be racing for an Indy NXT title. Twelve months later, he’s a category winner within the 24 Hours of Le Mans about to construct on in what will probably be his first full season.
“It’s been good this off season,” mentioned Siegel, 20, who landed a final summer season. “I’ve moved to Indianapolis. I’m within the store daily. Now I do know all the engineers on my automotive, all the mechanics. All of us spend time collectively, and it makes a distinction, you understand. … So I feel by St. Pete, we’re gonna be much more ready than we have been for any of the races final 12 months.”
IndyCar opens its season March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Wisconsin dates on are June 22 at Street America in Elkhart Lake and Aug. 24 on the Milwaukee Mile.
Siegel was the third driver final season for McLaren’s No. 6 automotive after David Malukas was launched as its driver however launched earlier than recovering from a preseason biking damage with out working a race.
In 12 begins final season, Lengthy Seaside with Dale Coyne, Street America with Juncos Hollinger and 10 races with McLaren – plus a close to miss in Indianapolis 500 qualifying – Siegel scored a high end of seventh at World Extensive Expertise Raceway, the 1.25-mile oval exterior St. Louis.
“There have been just a few races final 12 months, primarily the quick ovals, the place we got here away from weekends feeling like we should always have been on the rostrum,” Siegel mentioned. “And I feel capitalizing on these alternatives, when we have now a powerful automotive and have a powerful weekend, is the purpose. I don’t wish to stroll away from as many weekends form of speaking about what ought to have been. I wish to truly make it occur.”
Drag racer Chris King dreamed of getting on the ice as an Admirals
Chris King dreamed the decision he acquired from the Admirals can be for a tryout, to not trip a tricycle. A Racine native, King went to lots of of video games since as a child, 20 to 30 a 12 months.
As of late he’s a Chicago firefighter attempting to construct a Humorous Automobile crew whereas nonetheless enjoying the sport he loves.
“My complete life, I’ve been like an adrenaline junkie, racing vehicles, racing bikes, firefighter, hockey,” mentioned King, 49. “And never simply common hockey, a goalie. You bought to be out of your thoughts since you received individuals taking pictures pucks at your face at 100 miles an hour.”
As for racing at 300 mph, in the intervening time King is a one-man band on the enterprise aspect and works with a volunteer crew. Most of their 2025 schedule will come at occasions which can be shorter drives. Nonetheless, he’s a dreamer.
“I don’t know the place my path will take me,” he mentioned. “I really like driving the automotive proper now, however finally everyone will get older, and you’ll have to step out of the automotive. And relying on the place I’m at in life, I could also be a crew proprietor and have a driver are available in and drive for me or simply use my automotive to license individuals which can be up and coming.
“However there’s a variety of alternatives, and so long as I can keep in racing, I feel I’d be completely satisfied.”
Jordan Missig is again on the Street to Indy
The trail has been something however easy for Jordan Missig, however the 26-year-old Illinois driver now finds himself one step away from IndyCar.
Missig’s stops on the Street to Indy ladder system included time with Pabst Racing Companies in Oconomowoc. When funding didn’t come by means of least 12 months, he discovered a trip with IndyCar driver Graham Rahal’s startup Radical Cup crew and gained the championship. He additionally caught on with Abel Motorsports for 5 Indy NXT races and secured a fulltime trip for 2025.
“Final 12 months in the direction of the tip of the season, (the purpose) was to get a top-10,” Missig mentioned. “This 12 months, my expectation proper now could be to get a high 5. As soon as we beat that, perhaps the expectation is to get a podium, then the expectations to get a win … Little by little, steps right here and there’s what sort of works out the development ladder and what I really feel like makes you an expert.”
