It was at Homestead Miami tracks that Connor Jones had ended up wrecking Matt Mills, after which Mills had to be hospitalized. Although Jones was immediately suspended for one race, he has not quite been able to get rid of his anger issues. The takes of his inability to manage anger just gets more complex with every passing day and has been taking over his success stories. 

Following a similar incident, Jones stands now replaced by NASCAR Truck Series veteran Johnny Sauter. While Sauter did retire from full-time racing in 2021, he has been seen with small stints, year after year, and the last time was at the Daytona tracks. 

The no. 66 car finally has a driver for Daytona 

It was all set, and for ThorSport Racing, the lineup looks pretty linear. It consisted of Jake Garcia driving the No. 13, Matt Crafton with the No. 88, Ty Majeski with the No. 98, and Ben Rhodes with No. 99. Consequently, Connor Jones would have been the driving force behind the No.66. However, it seems that Jones was just not in the right frame of mind. Heading into the 59th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway, the 18-year-old NASCAR Truck Series driver was seen as a strong contender. To his backing, he even had an impressive record of five Pro Late Model wins.

However, instead of basking in the glory of another victory, he walked away defeated, frustrated, and embroiled in yet another dispute with race officials. This wasn’t the first time he had been estranged into unnecessary banter with the management. While Jones’ contendership for 2025 was under question, it wasn’t clear who would be driving the No. 66 car. Not long after this incident happened, an official post from the social media handle of ThorSport Racing was made. It read, “He’s Back! Johnny Sauter, veteran of the NASCAR Truck Series, returns to ThorSport Racing to battle it out at Daytona in the Fresh From Florida 250 on Feb. 14! He’ll be behind the wheel of the No. 66 Ford F-150, ready to chase victory at the World Center of Racing. Stay tuned—additional sponsorship announcements coming soon!”

Both success and setbacks marked Johnny Sauter’s tenure at ThorSport Racing. He joined the team in 2009 and secured his first Truck Series victory in Las Vegas. Later, he ended up winning NASCAR Rookie of the Year. Over the years, he became a consistent frontrunner. He picked on multiple wins, and this included a dramatic last-lap battle with Kyle Busch at Martinsville in 2011. He also came heartbreakingly close to a championship that year. However, he finished second to Austin Dillon by just six points.

With ThorSport, he earned some more notable wins, such as the 2012 WinStar World Casino 400K and Toyota’s 100th Truck Series victory in 2013. However, his later years saw increasing struggles. Despite winning at Dover in 2019, his suspension at Iowa and elimination from the playoffs after an engine failure at Las Vegas highlighted a turbulent season. By 2022, his tenure was reduced to as a half-time driver for the team. In 2023, he wasn’t seen with ThorSport, although in 2024, he did make a comeback to the Truck Series with Hattori Racing Enterprises and did make two starts with Niece Motorsports in the No. 45 truck as well. 

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Fans react to the news of Sauter making a comeback

With ThorSport formally announcing the comeback of veteran Johnny Sauter, fans have been pouring in immense love. After all, when the gold drivers who had once been phenomenal for their drive come back, it makes fans nostalgic. Given that his team also includes Ty Majeski, who hails from the same area as his, a comment read, “Let’s go Johnny and Ty 2 great Wisconsin drivers. Love thorsport and teams. Wish you had a race in Wisconsin to see this year.”

There are no doubts that Sauter has proved himself in the past, and his ability as a driver is precise. Applauding the team’s choice, another fan commented, “Damn good betting pick.” Fans have been hyping Sauter in the comment section in anticipation of him putting up a really good Daytona drive. A comment read, “Go Johnny Soter go!” while another read, “Get R Done Johnny!!” 

Given that the Daytona 500 drive is just a few days away from now, amping him up is important. Keeping true to sportsman spirit and boosting the driver, another fan’s comment read, “Let’s go!!!!!” With fans rallying behind him and excitement at an all-time high, all eyes are now on Johnny Sauter to turn nostalgia into a thrilling Daytona comeback.