Sam's Town 250

After a wet Saturday afternoon and a postponement, the Sam’s Town 250 finally got under way Sunday afternoon. For the most part the race went as expected for a short track, several cautions and some hot tempers. The cautions weren’t really that numerous if you don’t count the three early yellows for Mario Hernandez. I think he went backwards more than he went forwards!

The real excitement came in the final laps of the race with a heated battle between Jeff Green and Jay Sauter. Jay Sauter was leading with 2 laps to go. As they were going into turn three heading for the white flag, Jeff Green got inside Sauter’s rear Quarter panel and drove right up into Sauter’s car in an apparent attempt to take him out for the win. Sauter lost the rear end of his car and nearly hit the wall. As Sauter got his car under control he came down from the apex of the turn and slammed into the side of Jeff Green’s Nestle’s car, nearly taking Greens Front end right off.

While all this slammin’ and bammin’ was going on the wily veteran was sitting back in third licking his chops. After the leaders made their second crash in motion Randy LaJoie drove underneath them both and took the lead for the win. Green ended up salvaging a second place with the points leader, Kevin Harvick, coming in third. Jay Sauter ended up fourth.

After the race Jay Sauter showed some real class when he calmly and diplomatically explained that it was just short track racing. Jeff Green, on the other hand, showed his true colors and passed blame everywhere but where it belonged, right on himself. Sauter could have really laid in to Green for the cheap shot that cost him his first Busch Series win, but instead did what was right for the sport and kept calm and collected, a true Gentleman.

TOP TEN

1) Randy LaJoie
2) Jeff Green
3) Kevin Harvick
4) Jay Sauter
5) Jeff Purvis
6) Tim Fedewa
7) Jason Keller
8) Scott Wimmer
9) Ashton Lewis
10) Mike McLaughlin

** Johnny Sauter finished 15th in only his second Busch race, he finished 5th at the night race in Richmond.