Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Johnny Sauter won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with a third-place finish in Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, leaving race winner William Byron to consider what might have been. 

Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, celebrates with a flag after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

As Byron and Tyler Reddick battled for the lead, Sauter passed Championship 4 contender Matt Crafton for third-place on Lap 119 of 134 at the 1.5-mile track. Sauter then pulled away to claim the championship as Crafton faded to seventh in the closing laps.

Byron, the polesitter, claimed his rookie-record seventh victory of the season to salve the wound of last week at Phoenix, where a blown engine late in the final Round of 6 race knocked him out of the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase. 

Byron, 18, won the series owner championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports, the organization’s fourth straight and fifth overall owner championship in the series.

But the night belonged to the 38-year-old Sauter, who won his first NASCAR championship 15 years after making his first national touring series start in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. 

Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, celebrates with crew members after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)

“It’s not just me,” said Sauter, who started 19th in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet after a lackluster qualifying effort. “It’s the whole team—everybody at GMS Racing. “We qualified bad today, and really, I was kind of worried about it. But it felt pretty good in race trim… 

“Just proud of these guys. Flawless execution on pit road tonight. (Crew chief) Joe (Shear Jr.) made great adjustments to where I could just kind of hang on. I’m not a high line guy, so I just elected to keep doing my deal and found some pretty good grip around the bottom of the race track. 

“To be a champion… five years ago my old man was down here when I won the race. This is for him and for Joe Shear’s dad—great Midwest racers. My family’s here, my kids are here, my wife’s here. It’s just an awesome night. Proud to be champion, and we’ll do everything within our power to represent NASCAR and Camping World as best we can.” 

Team owner Kyle Busch and wife Samantha celebrate with the Champion Owner trophy in Victory Lane after Johnny Sauter (not pictured), driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

The handling of Crafton’s truck eroded after the last restart, making Sauter’s championship pass all but inevitable. 

“I kind of figured it was a matter of time,” acknowledged Crafton, who fell short in his quest for a third series title. “We were just really bad on that last run for whatever reason. We just went the wrong way for whatever reason.  

“It just got really tight on that last run. The run before that was just a little bit free, and on that last run it just got really tight on entry (into the corners).”

Behind Crafton, Christopher Bell and Timothy Peters came home eighth and ninth to claim third and fourth, respectively, in the final series standings. 

Byron charged from sixth to the front after a restart on Lap 115, finally taking the lead from Reddick 10 laps later.

“It feels awesome,” said Byron, who was also named Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the series, as expected. “It’s just – it’s incredible. I mean this team has worked so hard all year. We just had an unfortunate situation last week that we couldn’t control, but, man, they brought a good truck. Qualified on the pole.

“These guys just are awesome. God, I hate leaving this – I just hate this team not being together next year. It’s just insane how good they are and so many talented people on this race team. Can’t thank KBM enough, Toyota, Kyle and Samantha (Busch, Kyle Busch’s wife), everyone at KBM, (sponsor) Liberty University – it’s just amazing.” 

Byron will drive a Chevrolet in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for JR Motorsports next season, and Bell, 21, will return to KBM with an eye on the championship that eluded him this year.

Note:  Additional race photos posted below results.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Ford EcoBoost 200

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead, Florida

Friday, November 18, 2016

               1. (1) William Byron #, Toyota, 134.

               2. (7) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 134.

               3. (19) Johnny Sauter (C), Chevrolet, 134.

               4. (3) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 134.

               5. (18) Daniel Hemric, Ford, 134.

               6. (17) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 134.

               7. (4) Matt Crafton (C), Toyota, 134.

               8. (8) Christopher Bell (C) #, Toyota, 134.

               9. (13) Timothy Peters (C), Toyota, 134.

               10. (2) Cole Custer #, Chevrolet, 134.

               11. (6) John H Nemechek, Chevrolet, 134.

               12. (22) Matt Tifft #, Toyota, 134.

               13. (20) Rico Abreu #, Toyota, 134.

               14. (14) Ben Kennedy, Chevrolet, 134.

               15. (10) Noah Gragson, Toyota, 134.

               16. (16) Cameron Hayley, Toyota, 134.

               17. (24) Austin Hill, Ford, 134.

               18. (12) Jesse Little, Toyota, 134.

               19. (9) Brady Boswell, Chevrolet, 134.

               20. (11) Ben Rhodes #, Toyota, 134.

               21. (5) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 134.

               22. (21) Scott Lagasse Jr(i), Chevrolet, 134.

               23. (23) Grant Enfinger #, Ford, 134.

               24. (30) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 134.

               25. (27) Austin Wayne Self #, Toyota, 133.

               26. (29) Alon Day, Chevrolet, 131.

               27. (32) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 131.

               28. (28) Reed Sorenson(i), Chevrolet, 130.

               29. (25) Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, 128.

               30. (31) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 128.

               31. (26) Patrick Staropoli, Chevrolet, 125.

               32. (15) Ryan Truex, Toyota, Engine, 49.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  129.747 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 32 Mins, 57 Secs. Margin of Victory:  2.175 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  4 for 18 laps.

Lead Changes:  15 among 5 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   W. Byron # 1-16; R. Sorenson(i) 17; W. Byron # 18-19; M. Crafton (C) 20-22; K. Larson(i) 23-43; W. Byron # 44; T. Reddick 45-47; M. Crafton (C) 48-53; K. Larson(i) 54-83; W. Byron # 84; K. Larson(i) 85-87; M. Crafton (C) 88; K. Larson(i) 89-110; W. Byron # 111; T. Reddick 112-124; W. Byron # 125-134.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Larson(i) 4 times for 76 laps; W. Byron # 6 times for 31 laps; T. Reddick 2 times for 16 laps; M. Crafton (C) 3 times for 10 laps; R. Sorenson(i) 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 10 in Points: J. Sauter (C) – 4,030; M. Crafton (C) – 4,026; C. Bell (C) # – 4,025; T. Peters (C) – 4,024; W. Byron # – 2,199; D. Hemric – 2,163; B. Kennedy – 2,162; J. Nemechek – 2,133; T. Reddick – 511; C. Custer # – 502.

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Toyota, poses with the 21 Means 21 Pole Award after qualifying for pole position for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Toyota, leads the field past the green flag to start the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Timothy Peters, driver of the #17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, leads Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Timothy Peters, driver of the #17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Toyota, and Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Black Label Bacon/Menards Toyota, lead the field during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Black Label Bacon/Menards Toyota, races during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Timothy Peters, driver of the #17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, Christopher Bell, driver of the #4 JBL Toyota, Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, and Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Black Label Bacon/Menards Toyota, pose with the Camping World Truck Series trophy prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images)

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Toyota, poses with the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)