Johnny Sauter Martinsville Practice Report - Kroger 250

 

The first and final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practices are now complete here at Martinsville Speedway.

Johnny Sauter was 17th fastest in the opening session, stating that the No. 13 Hot Honeys/Curb Records Toyota Tundra was too tight in the center, but not bad. However, over the course of the session Sauter relayed that he was having difficulty feeling the front end of the truck getting into the corner. After adjustments made between sessions, Sauter was much happier with the feel of his truck, stating that it was rotating well. Crew Chief Joe Shear Jr. told Sauter that he was the "class of the field." Following a mock qualifying run, Sauter ended the session 4th fastest.

"We made a lot of gains in the second practice and the truck feels really good," said Sauter. "Based on our qualifying run and our speeds final practice, I think it's a good sign for how tomorrow is going to go. I'll call it a good day and see what we have tomorrow in qualifying and in the race."

Matt Crafton's No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Toyota Tundra was 13th quickest in first practice and the team spent most of the session freeing up the truck and dialing in the brakes. In final practice, Crafton stated that the truck was a lot better and that all the adjustments made between sessions and at the beginning of practice were a definite plus. After a mock qualifying run, Crafton was ultimately ninth on the board.

"I think we're definitely in a good place for tomorrow," said Crafton. We made a lot of gains during practice and I could feel the truck coming to me more and more over the course of a run, which is exactly what we need in the race."

During the first practice, Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 98 EverFi team worked on getting their Tundra to rotate through the center and up off the corners. After the first two changes by crew chief Dan Stillman, Armstrong said the chatter in the right front had gone away, but he was still looking for some more help rotating through the turns. The crew significant gains in the second practice, helping Dakoda gain more traction through the center and drive off the corner. Armstrong moved up to the 28th spot on the final speed chart after two mock qualifying runs and reported to Crew Chief Stillman that he was happy with the improvements, but still needed his Tundra to cut a little better through the corners.

"I feel like the changes we made throughout both practices helped the truck and the drive off the corner has gotten better, but I know we can pick up more speed. I am happy that we've improved so much since the first run and I know Dan and the team will make the right changes to keep us going in the right direction for qualifying," Armstrong said.

Dakoda Armstrong will roll off 13th in tomorrow's qualifying session, with Matt Crafton hitting the track 34th and Johnny Sauter qualifying 40th.

Next Up:
Saturday, March 31
10:05 AM ET: Qualifying live on SPEED
1:30 PM ET: Kroger 250 live on SPEED