3/25/06 Team Blue Ox Makes Some Noise in Thunder Valley

Mother Nature turned Bristol Motor Speedway into a Winter Wonderland at times throughout the weekend but the show did go on and Team Blue Ox raced away with a top 10 finish in Saturday's Busch Series race and a 15th place finish in Sunday's Cup Series event.

Rain and snow on Friday wiped out all track activity including Cup Series qualifying but the hearty fans in the Blue Ox Campground stayed busy as they took in the sights and sounds around the tiny track in Thunder Valley.
Saturday dawned with snow in the forecast and the white stuff started to fall just as Busch Series qualifying was getting underway and before Johnny Sauter had a chance to get the No. 00 Blue Ox Chevrolet on the clock. NASCAR cancelled the remainder of the session and lined the field up according the rulebook, which put Sauter 13th on the starting grid and on the inside preferred groove.

The Busch Series teams got 32 laps in the books before a snowstorm put the event under the red flag for nearly an hour-and-a-half. Once the race went back to green, the drivers were able to complete the 300-lap distance.
Through it all, Sauter charged hard and was able to dodge and weave his way around the numerous accidents that brought the yellow flag out 13 times. When the checkers flew, Sauter was scored in 10th, for his second top 10 finish of the season. "Bristol is the kind of place where you can play offense or defense," said Sauter. "I've tried it both ways and I've learned that if you sit back and try to stay out of trouble, you often end up doing just the opposite, so I look at this as an opportunity to let my aggressive side play a little."

Team Blue Ox got a taste of short track racing Nextel Cup style on Sunday as the associate sponsor for Jeff Green's No. 66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet and again the fans had plenty to cheer about as Green successfully avoided the chaotic events that had the yellow flag on display on 18 separate occasions.
The 15th place finish beat Green's previous season best by three positions and boosted him three spot forward in the point standings to 28th.