Johnny Sauter Scores Special Win in Bigley Memorial Tune-Up at Freedom Factory

Johnny Sauter scored redemption in his return to Freedom Factory Saturday, and did so with a special passenger along for the ride.

The former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion led 109 of 128 laps in last year's Bigley Memorial at Freedom Factory, but lost the lead to Jett Noland late in the race and finished second. There would be no such late-race slip-up tonight, as Sauter won the Bigley Memorial Tune-Up 125 for UARA National Super Late Models.

It was meaningful for Sauter to score the win at Freedom Factory to right the wrongs of nearly a year ago. It was also special thanks to the hood on his No. 5 Wauters Motorsports entry, which carried a picture of Bobby Gill.

Gill, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, was part of the Wauters Motorsports effort at last year's Bigley Memorial.

As a driver, Gill is also a former winner in the Snowball Derby and All American 400, as well as a four-time USAR Hooters Pro Cup champion.

"This one's for Bobby," said Sauter in victory lane. "Bobby was my crew chief here back in November when I just didn't get going on that last restart. I felt like we kind of gave that one away.

"Just so pumped. I hope Bobby's proud, because Richie's worked with Bobby for a long time. Just super special to get this win for him. Hopefully this helps him a little bit. I'm just pumped. It's hard to win races. Anytime you can get to victory lane, it's a good thing."

Sauter took the lead from Michael Atwell on lap 57 and maintained control for the remainder of the race. While late cautions brought former Bigley Memorial winner Jesse Dutilly to the forefront, he could never get within range to challenge Sauter.

"I've got to thank Richie Wauters, PME Engines, all of our sponsors," said Sauter. "I don't get to drive this often, but when I do, it's pretty fast. Thank all the fans for coming out when it's a million degrees."

Dutilly was content with a second-place finish after battling the clearance on his No. 30, resolving those issues and driving to a second-place finish.

"We fought the same problems yesterday we did then, just kept hitting the track," said Dutilly. "The qualifying run, the tires were up and we were still on the track. Today, we just got the car off the ground. It took some speed out of it, but we were better in the race."

Noland, who won last year's Bigley Memorial, rounded out the podium with a third-place finish. A 13th-place qualifying effort put Noland deep in the field, but the Florida driver recovered for a strong finish.

"We missed it in qualifying and ended up starting 13th," said Noland. "I feel like if we would have been up in the top five, it would have been a better battle between the top three here and now."

Stephen Nasse finished fourth, with George Gorham, Jr. rounding out the top five.

The Bigley Memorial 128 takes place on November 29-30 at Freedom Factory. It will also be a UARA National event.

As for the UARA National Super Late Models, they race again on Wednesday, September 11 at Owosso Speedway. That event is the rescheduled Love's Travel Center 150, originally slated for June.

-Photo credit: Tyler Sontag

UARA National Bigley Memorial Tune-Up 125
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