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NASCAR Suspends Sauter

NASCAR suspended Johnny Sauter for one race for intentionally ramming into Austin Hill during the Truck Series race in Iowa.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 07: Johnny Sauter, driver of the #13 Tenda Heal Ford, , and Austin Hill, driver of the #16 Ennis Steel Toyota, crash during the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 07, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The sport's sanctioning body said Tuesday that Sauter will miss this weekend's race at Gateway, outside St. Louis. His postseason eligibility will not be affected.

Hill nicked the back of Sauter's truck at Iowa Speedway, sending Sauter into the wall and drawing a caution flag. While Sunday's race was still under yellow, Sauter got his truck spun around straight before speeding up and driving right into the back of Hill's truck.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 07: Johnny Sauter, driver of the #13 Tenda Heal Ford, races Austin Hill, driver of the #16 Ennis Steel Toyota, during the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 07, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

NASCAR parked Sauter for the rest of the race. Hill, who had tangled with Sauter in an earlier race at Texas, finished 12th.

"We look back at the history of everything we've done and try to react with the precedents that we've set and then obviously tailoring those to the situation that we have at hand," said Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. "In this case, we felt like his actions certainly warranted being sat down for an event, but it felt a little too harsh to take him straight out of the championship, so we think we landed on what we feel is fair and a deterrent."

NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series M&M'S 200 - Practice
NEWTON, IOWA - JUNE 15: Johnny Sauter, driver of the #13 Tenda Products Ford, gets into his truck during practice for the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series M&M'S 200 at Iowa Speedway on June 15, 2019 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

A representative for Sauter's ThorSport Racing team told NASCAR.com the organization had not made a decision regarding a possible appeal.

Hill is seventh in the standings, Sauter is eighth.

Brett Moffitt was declared the race winner at Iowa after Ross Chastain's truck, which cleared the line first, failed a post-race inspection. Chastain's team has appealed that ruling.

© 2019 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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