In a bombshell announcement Wednesday afternoon, GMS Racing announced that it had parted ways with 2016 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter effective immediately.
Sauter joined GMS Racing from ThorSport Racing in 2016 and won his first NASCAR national series championship in the same year.
“We cannot thank Johnny enough for his contributions to the growth and success of GMS Racing,” GMS Racing president Mike Beam said in a statement.
“He won the first championship for us and added a lot of trophies to our shop. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors, both in and out of racing.”
No reason was given by GMS Racing for the move. However, a little more than an hour after the split was announced, Sauter appeared on SiriusXM Speedway with Dave Moody who described the divorce as “financial.”
“GMS has been a great place, we accomplished a lot of things,” Sauter told SiriusXM’s Dave Moody. “If they don’t need me, you don’t need to be there. Like my dad always said, if your hand ain’t broke, you’ll never go hungry. So, I’ll figure out something to do.
“What’s next for me? I don’t have a clue. Rides are pretty scarce, rides that you want to drive. We’ll just have to see what shakes out. … It’s one of them deals where I’m not going to drive junk. If an opportunity doesn’t present itself, I don’t have to do it.”
In the statement, GMS said announcements regarding the future of its No. 21 team will come at a later date.
In three seasons at GMS, Sauter had won 13 of his 23 career NGOTS victories. He won a career-high six races in 2018 en route to a fourth-place finish in the championship standings.
Multiple sources have told CATCHFENCE.com that reigning series’ champion Brett Moffitt who won the 2018 series championship with Hattori Racing Enterprises – is the leading candidate to take Sauter’s seat.
Sauter said on SiriusXM numerous times that he was told that Moffitt would replace him.
“If he’s bringing something, it’s more than I’m bringing,” sounded Sauter. “Let’s just leave it at that. I don’t pay to race. If I had that kind of money, I’d be racing something else probably. … I had actually heard this rumor about being ousted out of that truck a month ago.
“I asked some questions, and nothing ever was mentioned about it. Yeah, it’s late in the game, Daytona is a month away, there’s not a hell of a lot I can do about it. …. That’s the nature of the beast. It’s an expensive sport. Owners need money not just from sponsors today, but drivers as well.”
As for a possible return to ThorSport Racing, Sauter left the option open-ended.
“If Duke and Rhonda (Thorson) would have me, of course, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” he said. “They have their four teams and four drivers and I’m sure, a month away from Daytona, they probably have their plans figured out.
“Duke and Rhonda were great for me. They rescued my career when I didn’t have anything. They have plans and they’re going to go down the path they’re on. If they need me, I’d love to do it, and if they don’t, I understand that, too.”
A native of Necedah, Wisc., Sauter, 40 has 23 wins, seven poles, 102 top-five and 157 top-10 finishes. He has also won three races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2002 – 2005.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
