Haas plans a couple of more Cup races for Sauter
By Bob Pockrass
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
CONCORD, N.C. - Haas CNC Racing had two cars competing in the Coca-Cola 600, but that won't become a regular occurrence on the Nextel Cup circuit this year.
The No. 70 of Johnny Sauter, who drives for the team in the Busch Series, joined the No. 66 of Jeff Green on the track for the race.
"I think we're going to run [Sauter] in a couple of more big races," team owner Gene Haas said Sunday.
Indianapolis is likely to be one of those if the logistics can be worked out since Sauter also would be driving the Busch Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
"What you're seeing there is we're testing the waters to see if we could have a second team," Haas said. "We have a brand new facility that we're building. It's going to be a beautiful facility. I think that's going to leverage us to attract not only better sponsors but better employees.
"We should have the ability to develop and put competitive cars on the track."
Although Haas CNC Racing gets resources from Hendrick Motorsports, it remains for the most part a single-car team and faces the challenges most single-car teams encounter.
"Multicar teams have an inherit advantage because they have depth and they have more people," Haas said. "Typically you have one winning car. If you have one winning car, it's because you have figured it out. Now what you have to do is replicate that model.
"When you have a single-car team, you're either winning or you're not. In most cases, you're not, so what model do you go after to figure out how to get better?"
Sauter ran in the top 10 for much of the race, but a couple of flat tires stymied the team, and he finished 24th.
The team was guided by Harold Holly, the crew chief for Sauter on the Busch side.
"The 70 team did a great job," said Haas CNC Racing general manager Joe Custer. "We have to think of each race weekend, not in terms of results, but as part of a system. We're trying to grow this organization into a standout NASCAR operation, and we made a step towards that goal during the Coca Cola 600."
