Jim Sauter, one of the pioneers of Midwest short track racing and the patriarch of the iconic Sauter racing family passed away on October 31 at the age of 71.
Sauter, who competed in 76 NASCAR Winston (Sprint) Cup Series races from 1980-2003 captured back-to-back ARTGO Series championships in the early 1980s from his homeland of Wisconsin.
Building a legacy that started in 1964, Sauter took the checkered flag in several prestigious short-track events across the country, including the 1983 All-American 400 in Nashville.
After winning the 1981 track championship at Wisconsin International Raceway, Sauter, a native of Necedah, Wisconsin took the next leap in his racing career with a part-time Sprint Cup Series schedule driving for a variety of teams. He reached his peak in 1989 with a season-high 17 starts at the age of 46.
He scored four top-10s during his Cup tenure, including two top-10s in 1989, matching a career-best of ninth at Watkins Glen International. He made his first Sprint Cup race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway driving for Rahmoc Enterprises. He also competed in six Daytona 500s with a best finish of 12th in 1982.
In addition to serving as a test driver for Goodyear, Sauter earned respect and recognition as a test driver for the International Race of Champions (IROC).
Sauter’s final NASCAR national series start occurred in his backyard at the legendary Milwaukee Mile in 2004, where he finished 13th in a Camping World Series truck fielded by Cary Agajanian.
While neither of Sauter’s seven daughters raced, his four sons have. Most notable is Johnny Sauter, who competed in Friday night’s race at Texas Motor Speedway for ThorSport Racing. Sons Jay, Jim Jr. and Tim also etched out their own racing careers.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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