TRAVIS SAUTER…THE REALITY OF RACING
By: Kevin RamsellThursday, November 8, 2007 (Daytona Beach, FL) – Travis Sauter will be the first to tell you that there is a good and bad side to having his last name. The good side is that he is part of one of the most famous racing families in the world. The bad side is that everyone thinks that by having his name, he can have whatever he wants.
Sauter is just like the other competitors that he competes against. He just didn’t walk in and use his name to get where he is at; he had to follow the same footsteps as his grandfather, Jim; father, Tim; and Uncles Jay and Johnny. “That is a misconception,” Sauter recently stated. “The way that the Sauter’s have been raised is that if you want it real bad, you have to go and get it and you have to earn it.” A lesson that Travis learned early on and still respects to this day.
As noted on his website bio, after helping his Uncle Johnny win the ASA Series National Championship in 2001, Travis moved back to Wisconsin where he built his own race car, assembled his own pit crew and started racing to immediate success. In 2003, he had 4 feature wins and 7 fast times. Since moving to Late Models in 2004, Travis captured 7 wins, 25 top 5’s, and 30 top ten finishes in 40 starts.
He came up only six points short to winning the late model championship to Bobby Wilberg at Madison International Speedway in 2006, where he had one win, nine top-five and 10 top-ten finishes in 11 starts.
Last season, Sauter earned a lot of respect by competing as a rookie in the ASA Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by Echo Outdoor Power Equipment. He finished eighth in the points with three top-five and six top-ten finishes in 11 starts and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. Not bad for the 24-year-old pilot from Necedah, WI who previously only competed at three of the tracks that that ASAMT ran at in 2007.
“It was a great learning experience, because we never really traveled before,” Sauter stated. “There are races that we ran well at and there are some that we left a little on the table. I have high expectations for myself; I expect to win every race. I think we can be a contender for the championship in 2008.”
He almost wasn’t able to compete last season when he blew a motor at the opening event at Elko Speedway. He met with Bill Wanner at REDI, Inc. and Wanner gave him a motor to use for the rest of the season. “I had two super late motors sitting around at the shop,” Wanner recalled. “Travis is a great guy and I wanted to do what I could to help him out, so I told him to take one of the motors.” Sauter competed all year with that motor.
With support from Coleman Racing Products, Sauter was able to make his presence known in 2007. But, going into 2008, he is already looking at a tough hill to climb. “Coleman has been real great with me, because our team hasn’t been a well funded team,” Sauter said. “They are helping in 2008 by giving me a car to drive; now all I need is a trailer, a motor, and support to compete for a championship.”
Sauter isn’t shy to say that it does cost money to compete with the large car counts and talent competing in the ASA Midwest Tour. “With so many cars showing up, you need to have new tires and the right equipment in order to run with them,” Sauter stated.
“I would like to either team up with a great sponsor or with another race team,” Sauter continued to say. “Like I said earlier, with the right support, either with a great sponsor and/or a great race team, we could be a strong competitor in 2008.”
"Travis is so passionate about his racing career and he has more confidence going into a race then anyone I know in the business. He digs and digs at it and puts an extreme amount of effort into his racing program,” ASA VP Steve Einhaus stated. "It's tough for him I can see, and he doesn't get any financial support from his family members because they are grooming him to earn every thing on his own. They sleep 6 crew members to a hotel room, practice on tires until they are down to the cords, and will fill a truck up with as many crew guys as they can just to get to the race track on a budget but is still in contention for the win at every event.”
The second generation driver, whose father and uncle are competing in one or more of the top three NASCAR series, knows that moving up the ladder is a tough deal. But, if he had a choice, he knows where he would like to race. “I get asked this a million times,” Sauter chuckled. “The way how NASCAR is now, you need to bring your own money in and that is ridiculous. I think that any guy that ran NASCAR would tell you that he had more fun running the local short tracks, but they couldn’t make a living at it. If I could make a living running short tracks that would be a dream come true.”
If you are interested in learning how you can support Travis Sauter during the 2008 ASA Midwest Tour season, call Travis at (608) 547-3554 or e-mail him at travissauter5@yahoo.com. You can also visit his website at www.travissauter.net.
Sauter will receive his 8th place honors at the ASAMT Championship Banquet on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI.
The Kalahari Resort has a special price of $159 per room for the ASA Midwest Tour. This cost does also include a waterpark pass for everyone registered in your room. To book your room, please call the Kalahari toll-free at (877) Kalahari (525-2427) and mention the ASA Midwest Tour when you call to reserve. Also, ask about any available condos or suites that can accommodate your entire race team.
To learn more about the American Speed Association Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by Echo Outdoor Power Equipment log on to www.asamidwesttour.com or call the ASA Midwest Tour office at (262) 514-3880 or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.
To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association, visit www.asaracing.com.
Marshfield Race Report - 22 Aug 2010
DRP Race Report - 22 Aug 2010
WIR Race Report - 06 Aug 2010
Shakopee Race Report - 20 Jul 2010
Madison Race Report - 01 Jul 2010
Golden Sands Race Report - 01 Jul 2010
Illiana Race Report - 01 Jul 2010
Hawkeye Downs Report - 12 Jun 2010
Elko Race Report - 07 Jun 2010
Madison Race Report - 03 May 2010
2009 OKTOBERFEST CHAMPION TO JOIN THE ASAMT FULL-TIME IN 2010 - 12 Mar 2010
Oktoberfest Race Report - 12 Oct 2009
Marshfield Race Report - 24 Aug 2009
Golden Sands Report - 01 Aug 2009
Dells Race Report - 19 Jul 2009
North American Cup Report - 05 Jul 2009
Madison Race Report - 05 Jul 2009
Marshfield Race Report - 14 Jun 2009
Bronze 125 Race Report - 01 Jun 2009
Madison Race Report - 05 May 2009
ASAMT Dells News - 25 Apr 2009
Travis Sauter Announces 2009 Plans - 23 Mar 2009
Nashville Race Report - 03 Nov 2008
SAUTER HARD CHARGES TO A TOP-TEN FINISH IN THE AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION MIDWEST TOUR SUPER LATE MODEL SERIES - 22 Oct 2008
LaCrosse Race Report - 07 Oct 2008
Marshfield Race Report - 12 Sep 2008
Norway Race Report - 12 Sep 2008
Milwaukee Race Report - 28 Aug 2008
Raceway Park Race Report - 20 Aug 2008
Kaukauna Race Report - 08 Aug 2008
Iowa Speedway Race Report - 22 Jul 2008
Hawkeye Downs Race Report - 22 Jul 2008
I-94 Raceway Race Report - 07 Jul 2008
Madison Race Report - 26 Jun 2008
Grundy Race Report - 26 Jun 2008
Dells Race Report - 03 Jun 2008
Jefferson Race Report - 19 May 2008
Madison Race Report - 05 May 2008
SAUTER HAS SOLID RUN AT ELKO - 21 Apr 2008
TRAVIS SAUTER TO COMPETE IN THE 2008 BIG 8 SERIES - 16 Jan 2008
TRAVIS SAUTER…THE REALITY OF RACING - 08 Nov 2007
Sauter finishes 5th at Oktoberfest - 08 Oct 2007
Travis takes 12th at the Milwaukee Mile - 29 Aug 2007
A close one at Raceway Park - 14 Aug 2007
Good Run Spoiled at WIR - 09 Aug 2007
A Distaster At Madison - 23 Jul 2007
Tough Luck for Sauter at Grundy - 17 Jul 2007
Sauter scores another Top 10 at I-94 Raceway - 09 Jul 2007
Sauter has tough luck at LaCrosse - 09 Jul 2007
Sauter Finishes 10th at Norway - 24 Jun 2007
Travis Sauter has Fast Time and Finishes 3rd at DRP - 14 Jun 2007
Sauter Takes Home Top Five at Hawkeye Downs - 05 Jun 2007
Sauter Takes Home Top Ten at Jefferson 100 - 21 May 2007
Sauter Takes on Elko - 01 May 2007
Third-Generation Sauter Carries Family Name to ASA Midwest Tour - 29 Mar 2007
Travis Sauter Named One of the Twelve ASA Midwest Tour Touring Stars - 14 Feb 2007
