Motor Sports: Johnny Sauter struggling to find success

Heading into the 2004 Nextel Cup season, fans expected to see one of the best rookie classes in NASCAR history.

You had Brian Vickers, 2003 Busch Series champion heading for Hendrick Motorsports. You had Brendan Gaughan, Craftsman Truck Series star driving for a Penske organization that dominated the 2003 season with Ryan Newman, claiming more victories and poles than any other driver.

There was Scott Riggs, who battled Vickers down to the season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Busch title. There was Kasey Kahne stepping into Bill Elliot's ride at Evernham Motorsports, and Scott Wimmer who shined with Bill Davis Racing in 2002.

Then you had Johnny Sauter, a rising Busch Series star that helped pilot the Richard Childress Racing #21 team to the 2003 Busch Series owners' title, while splitting time with Kevin Harvick. Sauter would be the latest driver of the #30 AOL Monte Carlo, a car that saw limited success with Steve Park and Jeff Green behind the wheel the previous season. He was expected to be the driver to help turn around the struggling program, but so far, not so good.

As much as I hate to admit, I had Sauter as my surprise pick for this season's Rookie of the Year. I figured that he would be the next Harvick and not the next Buckshot Jones.

I obviously forgot the Busch race at Richmond last September when Sauter admittedly put Matt Kenseth in the wall for the victory.

I realize that we're only three races into the 2004 season, but it's never too early to start criticizing, and from what I've seen thus far, Sauter has struggled to finish a race, let alone sniff a top 10 finish. I was hesitant to say anything, until I tuned in on Inside Nextel Cup on the Speed Channel Monday night and heard Michael Waltrip and Ken Schrader, two veteran drivers, express their feelings on the rookie. Schrader summed up Sauter's driving style best by saying, "I see a lot of DNFs in this kid's future."

Nextel Cup drivers and fans got their first glimpse of Sauter's driving ability, or lack there of, on lap 70 of the season opening Daytona 500. Sauter driving low, made it three-wide exiting turn two, washed up the track into Brian Vickers, and triggered a massive pile-up that sent Waltrip flipping though the backstretch grass.

Waltrip who was running side-by-side with Vickers before the accident said that Sauter's move was uncalled for, "It was a little impatient and immature, but he saw other people doing it."

Later that same race, Sauter, a lap car at the time, narrowly escaped running into the back of the leaders, who were hard on the brakes entering the pits, by soaring down pit-road at over 125 mph.

Sauter looked to forget about his disappointing Daytona 500 with a solid showing at Rockingham the following week, and he did just that with a 14th place finish.

Success was short-lived however, and Sauter found himself back in trouble at Las Vegas. Competing in the Busch Series event, Sauter was battling for the lead near the end of the race when his car shot to the left while exiting turn four, slamming into Kenseth, the dominant car throughout the race, and then running into the back of Dave Blaney sending him into the outside wall.

Tensions were high during post-race interviews as Sauter criticized Waltrip for causing the accident. "Michael Waltrip's pretty much an idiot, a lap down racing out there, going three-wide, doing stupid ****."

Waltrip responded by saying, "I wonder if he remembers in Daytona when he wiped out about 12 of us and I did a barrel-roll down the back straightaway."

That was just the beginning of Waltrip's frustration. "If Johnny Sauter doesn't run another race it won't mean sweat off my rear end."

NASCAR got the final word, fining Sauter $10,000, and deducting him 25 Busch Series points for his use of inappropriate language.

It's still early in the season, and Sauter still has a chance to earn the respect of his piers, but so far, he isn't making that good name of a name for himself.

There's still time for improvement, but as of now, Sauter gets my vote as this seasons first driver to lose a ride.

Send complaints and comments to Mike at: mlovecchio@columnist.com