Sauter Wins Homestead as Dillion is Crowned Champion

HOMESTEAD, FL - RIS - Johnny Sauter did all he could do on Friday night.  He led the most laps and won the Ford 200, but Austin Dillion's performance, though far from the front, was good enough for the 21-year old to win the Camping World Truck Series championship.

Sauter at one point had cut the points deficit to two points in his second victory of the season, but Dillon finished 10th and won his first national championship by six points to become the youngest Truck Series champion.

Rain started to fall with 15 laps to go and the track was lost rather quickly. Before the rain came, Denny Hamlin made a pass for the lead, but Sauter squeezed Hamlin into the wall and Hamlin made a great save to prevent wrecking both trucks. Kevin Harvick finished third in his final race as a Truck owner.

The championship wasn't in the bag for Dillon with less than 40 to go.

When the race restarted after a Ross Chastain spin with 34 to go, Dillon was second, but dropped to 15th in eight laps. With 30 to go, Richard Childress Racing teammate Joey Coulter reported to the No. 3 team they had a right tire that appeared to be going down. Right after that, Ron Hornaday told Dillon's team when Hornaday passed them that some oil came on to Hornaday's windshield.

But with 20 to go, Dillon was comfortably in 10th position and no mechanical issues struck the No. 3.

Coulter locked up the rookie of the year title with a fifth-place run.