Austin Hill Earns First Career Truck Series Pole, Johnny Sauter on Front Row

The 2019 season for Austin Hill has been a roller coaster ride. It all started in victory lane at Daytona, but has included only one Top-5 finish since. On Friday, the #16 Hattori Racing Enterprises team added another positive note to their year after Hill scored his first career Pole in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Though, he may not like who’s joining him on the front row.

Two weeks ago, Johnny Sauter was suspended after an on-track altercation with Austin Hill at Iowa. Now, as Sauter returns to Truck Series competition, he’s going to start right alongside Hill at the very front of the pack. Sauter has experienced success at Chicagoland Speedway, winning in 2017 for GMS Racing. Now, with ThorSport Racing, he’ll be fighting hard to gain back the points he lost by missing last week’s race at Gateway. Sauter leads the Truck Series with 8 playoff points but now sits 10th overall in points, though he remains locked into the playoff due to his win at Dover.

Row 2 consists of the defending champion and last year’s Chicago winner Brett Moffitt and DGR-Crosley prospect Tyler Ankrum. At this time last year, Moffitt had 2 wins, sat 3rd in points, and sponsorship troubles that put a full season in doubt. Now, Moffitt has one win, thanks to a DQ of Ross Chastain’s truck, sits 5th in points, and still has sponsorship troubles. The #24 GMS Racing Chevrolet is blank and white at Chicagoland, surprising for two reasons. 1) Brett Moffitt has won 7 races since the beginning of 2018, matched by Johnny Sauter and Kyle Busch in that span, and 2) Moffitt is now driving the truck Sauter won most of his races in. The driver is proven to be successful and so is the team.

Full Starting Lineup: