Johnny Sauter, Ben Kennedy get police pursuit training at Iowa Speedway

NEWTON — Not all race promotion events are created equal.

Select drivers in NASCAR's top three national series are picked to do various events every week to help promote upcoming races at tracks across the country.

Oftentimes, it's a meet and greet, an autograph signing or something relatively mundane compared to racing a car (or truck) at 180-plus mph. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Johnny Sauter and Xfinity Series driver Ben Kennedy got a break from the mundane on Tuesday at Iowa Speedway.

In helping promote the track's opening weekend NXS/NCWTS doubleheader on June 23 and 24, Sauter and Kennedy got to go through tactical course and high-speed pursuit training with driving instructors from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.

'It's definitely one of the more unique ones,' Kennedy said. 'The tracks always try to do fun stuff, but this is icing on the cake in comparison to others. It's so cool to be out here with these officers. I have so much respect for what they do. It's cool to see this and how our worlds collide in a way. I've always been curious how they train for this.'

A handful of instructors — all law enforcement officers — were on hand to help Sauter and Kennedy learn the course.

The most difficult part, both drivers said, was the tactical driving course, where they had to back up Iowa Speedway pace cars — the police cruisers on hand were reserved for the officers — weave through and stop short of orange traffic cones set up in the parking lot behind the main grandstand. The most fun, they said, was the high-speed pursuit.

Around the outer rim road of the property, Sauter and Kennedy got to chase a trooper — and got up to around 110 mph.

'Yeah, (it was bizarre) because I've had a few of them chase me in my day, so the roles were reversed,' Sauter said through a laugh. 'I'm fortunate to get a lot of cool things. You see stuff on TV and think, 'Oh that looks easy,' but until you physically do it, it's a whole different perspective.

'These guys encounter stuff — ice, snow, rain and gravel on the road — a lot of stuff you have to anticipate. These guys bust their butts and put themselves on the line. They're brave.'

Kennedy is in the midst of a limited schedule season, running select NXS races with Richard Childress Racing and GMS Racing. He's made three starts this season, finishing fourth at Talladega in the No. 2 RCR Chevy. Kennedy will be back in the No. 2 car for the June 24 race at Iowa Speedway.

Sauter, the defending NCWTS champion, currently is the series points leader coming off a win this weekend at Dover International Speedway, also driving for GMS. The trip to Iowa also offered the Wisconsin native a chance to bring his son, Penn, and make a quick trip to his home state.

Along the way, Sauter said he was going to stop at a track he's quite fond of — Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids. Sauter collected several wins at Hawkeye Downs over the course of his Late Model career, and cited his first career ASA National Tour win there in 2001 as one of his most memorable.

He swept both ASA races at Hawkeye Downs that year. After mentioning he'd want to stop by after the ILEA event and show his son on Tuesday, Sauter added he wants to see the NCWTS go to Hawkeye Downs.

'I want my son to see Hawkeye Downs; he wasn't born yet last time I raced there,' Sauter said. 'That place is very special to me. … Racing against Johnny Spaw and all the old guys down here, it was a racetrack I love. It's been since 2008 since I raced there.

'I'm all for a (Truck Series) race there. I'm a short track guy. I can't think of a better way to get people there. It would be packed if they could do it. No one would be more for a Cedar Rapids race than me.'

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