# Elton Sawyer

Elton Everett Sawyer (born November 5, 1959) is an American former NASCAR driver. He is married to former NASCAR driver Patty Moise, and is the older brother of Roger Sawyer, who has also competed in NASCAR. Sawyer is currently the senior Vice President of competition of NASCAR, having previously been the Vice President of Officiating and Technical Inspection.

## Early career

Sawyer began his career in the NASCAR Busch Series. He ran a handful of races in 1983, 1984, and 1985, scoring 8 top tens while running his own team. From 1986 to 1989, he ran full-time seasons with Lewis Motorsports. Sawyer ran competitively, scoring many top tens, while finishing between 14th and 18th in points in all of those years. Sawyer left the Lewis organization, after not winning in his four seasons with the team, and headed to the team owned by A.G. Dillard. In 1990, Sawyer ran his best career season, scoring 4 top fives and finishing 13th in the points. However the following year, the Dillard team faced sponsorship problems, which kept Sawyer from completing the whole year. He salvaged a 20th-place finish in the points that year. The sponsorship issues that affected Sawyer in 1991 also caused problems for him the next two years. He was not able to find a solid ride, and only competed in 4 races.

## Mid-1990s

However, luck changed for Sawyer in 1994 when he found a solid ride at Sutton Racing. He would go on to win his first Busch Series race at Myrtle Beach Speedway. He would only have six more top tens the remaining of the year, finishing 14th in points. In 1995, Sawyer continued driving in the Busch Series full-time for Sutton, but he was named to replace Loy Allen Jr. in the No. 27 Winston Cup car Junior Johnson & Associates. Sawyer's Cup season did not fare too well, but his Busch year was his best of date, finishing 9th in points. In that same year, Sawyer competed in the Winston Select, driving the No. 27 car of Junior Johnson that made it in, thanks to Jimmy Spencer winning twice the previous year.
Sawyer started the 1996 Cup season driving for David Blair Motorsports. However, after sponsorship problems, he was released from the team. He then decided to jump back down to Busch, however he did not grab a solid ride until 1997, when he rejoined Sutton. Sawyer would go on to finish 8th in points. In 1998, he had a great year, finishing 5th in points, after scoring 10 top tens. In 1999, Sawyer joined Akins Motorsports in the Busch Series. Sawyer had one of his most competitive years, winning a race at New Hampshire International Speedway. He also scored 14 top tens, and finished 5th in points. 2000 was also a great year for Sawyer after he scored once again 14 top tens and finished 6th in points.

## 2001–present

2001 turned out to be Sawyer's last full season in NASCAR. He raced competitively, scoring his career high of 19 top-tens in a season, while finishing 5th in points. Akins had sold the No. 98 car to Michael Kranefuss in April 2001, however the team was unable to secure sponsorship after the season and folded, causing Sawyer to search for a ride for 2002. Sawyer did race 3 races in 2002 for the ailing Jeff Purvis at Brewco Motorsports. However, David Green received the ride in 2003. Sawyer continued looking for a ride; however, he was unable to find one due to the trend of teams wanting young drivers with sponsorship money.
On February 2, 2015, NASCAR announced that Sawyer would become the managing director of the Camping World Truck Series, replacing Chad Little, who was moved to a new role within the organization. Sawyer had previously served as the director of team operations for Action Express Racing in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
Sawyer, along with John Probst, helped the design of the Next Gen car that debuted in 2022.

## Motorsports career results
### NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

#### Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | NWCC | Pts |
| 1985 | | | Olds | DAY | RCH | CAR | ATL | BRI | DAR | NWS | MAR | TAL | DOV | CLT | RSD | POC | MCH | DAY | POC | TAL | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT DNQ | CAR | ATL | RSD | | | | N/A | - |
| 1995 | Junior Johnson & Associates | 27 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR 20 | TAL 27 | SON DNQ | CLT 25 | DOV 41 | POC | MCH 23 | DAY | NHA 23 | POC 29 | TAL 14 | IND 41 | GLN 29 | MCH 21 | BRI DNQ | DAR 32 | RCH 38 | DOV 40 | MAR 33 | NWS 34 | CLT 28 | CAR 31 | PHO 30 | ATL 28 | 38th | 1499 |
| 1996 | David Blair Motorsports | 27 | Ford | DAY 25 | CAR DNQ | RCH 30 | ATL 19 | DAR 30 | BRI 37 | NWS 32 | MAR DNQ | TAL 37 | SON | CLT 21 | DOV | POC | MCH | DAY | NHA | POC | TAL | IND | GLN | MCH DNQ | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | PHO | | 43rd | 705 |
| 1996 | Ranier-Walsh Racing | 20 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ATL 23 | 43rd | 705 |

##### Daytona 500

| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
| 1996 | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | 18 | 25 |

#### Busch Series

NASCAR Busch Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NBSC | Pts |
| 1983 | Zervakis Racing Team | 01 | Pontiac | DAY | RCH | CAR | HCY | MAR | NWS | SBO | GPS | LGY | DOV | BRI | CLT | SBO | HCY | ROU | SBO | ROU | CRW | ROU | SBO | HCY | LGY | IRP | GPS | BRI | HCY | DAR | RCH | NWS | SBO | MAR | ROU | CLT | HCY | MAR 30 | 141st | 73 |
| 1984 | Sawyer Racing | 02 | Pontiac | DAY | RCH 7 | CAR | HCY | MAR 5 | DAR | ROU | NSV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 577 |
| 1984 | Sawyer Racing | 0 | Pontiac | | | | | | | | | LGY 9 | MLW | DOV | CLT | SBO | HCY | ROU | SBO | ROU | HCY | IRP | LGY | SBO | BRI | DAR | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 577 |
| 1984 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Pontiac | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RCH 9 | NWS | CLT | HCY | CAR | MAR 2 | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 577 |
| 1985 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Pontiac | DAY | CAR | HCY | BRI | MAR 8 | DAR | SBO | LGY 4 | DOV | CLT | SBO | HCY | ROU | IRP | SBO | LGY 9 | HCY | MLW | BRI | DAR | RCH 27 | NWS | ROU | | | | MAR 20 | | | | | | | | | 38th | 577 |
| 1985 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Olds | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CLT 23 | HCY | CAR | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 577 |
| 1986 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Olds | DAY | CAR 29 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15th | 3046 |
| 1986 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Pontiac | | | HCY 12 | MAR 8 | BRI | DAR | SBO 6 | LGY 3 | JFC 14 | | | SBO 8 | HCY 15 | ROU | IRP 21 | SBO 4 | RAL 20 | OXF | SBO 10 | HCY 8 | LGY 9 | ROU 7 | BRI 12 | | RCH 6 | DOV | MAR 9 | ROU 11 | CLT | | MAR 5 | | | | | | | 15th | 3046 | |
| 1986 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | DOV 12 | CLT 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | DAR 39 | | | | | | CAR 27 | | | | | | | | | 15th | 3046 | |
| 1987 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Chevy | DAY 14 | HCY 13 | MAR 27 | DAR 25 | BRI 25 | LGY 3 | SBO 24 | CLT 39 | DOV 11 | IRP 2 | ROU 11 | JFC 14 | OXF 32 | SBO 14 | HCY 20 | RAL 18 | LGY 3 | ROU 2 | BRI 4 | JFC 24 | DAR 24 | RCH 12 | DOV 28 | MAR 26 | CLT 43 | CAR 36 | MAR 8 | | | | | | | | | 14th | 2955 |
| 1988 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Chevy | DAY 28 | HCY 21 | CAR 38 | MAR 21 | DAR 23 | BRI 22 | LNG 6 | NZH 34 | SBO 15 | NSV 25 | CLT 36 | DOV | ROU | LAN | LVL | MYB 7 | OXF 35 | SBO 8 | HCY 12 | LNG 15 | IRP 16 | ROU 9 | BRI 15 | DAR 17 | RCH 29 | DOV 36 | MAR 3 | CLT 34 | CAR 15 | MAR 7 | | | | | | 16th | 2686 |
| 1989 | Lewis Motorsports | 42 | Chevy | DAY 23 | CAR 15 | MAR 3 | HCY | DAR 32 | BRI | NZH 24 | SBO | | | CLT 32 | DOV 21 | ROU 6 | LVL 3 | VOL 23 | MYB 5 | SBO 12 | HCY 15 | DUB 24 | IRP 18 | ROU 17 | BRI | DAR | RCH 35 | DOV | MAR 30 | CLT | CAR | MAR 15 | | | | | | | 18th | 2202 |
| 1989 | Huffman Racing | 70 | Olds | | | | | | | | | LAN 11 | NSV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 18th | 2202 |
| 1990 | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | 41 | Buick | DAY 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13th | 3442 |
| 1990 | Roy Hill Racing | 4 | Buick | | RCH 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13th | 3442 |
| 1990 | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | 27 | Buick | | | CAR 19 | MAR 2 | HCY 10 | DAR 27 | BRI 30 | LAN 27 | SBO 10 | NZH 14 | HCY 23 | CLT 19 | DOV 9 | ROU 17 | VOL 2 | MYB 22 | OXF 29 | NHA 25 | SBO 24 | DUB 28 | IRP 6 | ROU 5 | BRI 31 | DAR 41 | RCH 12 | DOV 25 | MAR 18 | CLT 34 | NHA 6 | CAR 13 | MAR 15 | | | | | | | 13th | 3442 | |
| 1991 | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | 27 | Buick | DAY 15 | RCH 26 | CAR 25 | MAR 5 | VOL 12 | HCY 12 | DAR 29 | BRI 27 | LAN 11 | SBO 7 | NZH 11 | CLT 38 | DOV 23 | ROU 23 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20th | 2481 |
| 1991 | Henderson Motorsports | 75 | Olds | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | HCY 24 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20th | 2481 |
| 1991 | Laughlin Racing | 45 | Pontiac | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MYB 26 | GLN | OXF | NHA | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20th | 2481 |
| 1991 | Fred Harris | 67 | Pontiac | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SBO 7 | DUB DNQ | IRP 14 | ROU 27 | BRI 12 | DAR 23 | RCH 34 | DOV 21 | CLT DNQ | NHA | CAR | MAR 30 | | | | | | | 20th | 2481 | |
| 1992 | Huffman Racing | 77 | Buick | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | MAR 16 | DAR | BRI | HCY | LAN | DUB | NZH | CLT | DOV | ROU | MYB | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 81st | 179 |
| 1992 | Owen Racing | 91 | Buick | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GLN 33 | VOL | NHA | TAL | IRP | ROU | MCH | NHA | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | MAR | CAR | HCY | | | | | | | 81st | 179 | |
| 1993 | Akins-Sutton Motorsports | 38 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH | DAR | BRI | HCY | ROU | MAR | NZH | CLT | DOV | MYB | GLN | MLW | TAL | IRP | MCH | NHA | BRI | DAR | RCH 25 | DOV | ROU | CLT 36 | MAR | CAR | HCY | ATL | | | | | | | | 80th | 143 |
| 1994 | Akins-Sutton Motorsports | 38 | Ford | DAY 20 | CAR 12 | RCH 4 | ATL DNQ | MAR 22 | DAR 13 | HCY 28 | BRI | ROU 31 | NHA DNQ | NZH 2 | CLT 21 | DOV 13 | MYB 1 | GLN 35 | MLW 8 | SBO 17 | TAL 21 | HCY 14 | IRP 22 | MCH 20 | BRI 15 | DAR 9 | RCH 31 | DOV 13 | CLT 5 | MAR 19 | CAR 39 | | | | | | | | 14th | 2873 |
| 1994 | Bobby Allison Motorsports | 82 | Ford | | | | ATL 38 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 14th | 2873 | |
| 1995 | Akins-Sutton Motorsports | 38 | Ford | DAY 39 | CAR 32 | RCH 15 | ATL 10 | NSV 30 | DAR 38 | BRI 18 | HCY 26 | NHA 2 | NZH 8 | CLT 27 | DOV 12 | MYB 10 | GLN 22 | MLW 14 | TAL 10 | SBO 7 | IRP 2 | MCH 13 | BRI 26 | DAR 8 | RCH 10 | DOV 17 | CLT 20 | CAR 14 | HOM 12 | | | | | | | | | | 9th | 2952 |
| 1996 | MS Racing | 14 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL 33 | NSV 12 | DAR | BRI | HCY 17 | NZH | CLT | DOV | SBO | MYB | GLN | MLW | NHA | TAL | IRP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 39th | 1217 |
| 1996 | Akins-Sutton Motorsports | 38 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MCH 25 | BRI 12 | DAR 16 | RCH 22 | DOV 8 | CLT 19 | CAR 14 | HOM 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 39th | 1217 |
| 1997 | Akins-Sutton Motorsports | 38 | Ford | DAY 16 | CAR 12 | RCH 11 | ATL 2 | LVS 31 | DAR 17 | HCY 6 | TEX 11 | BRI 32 | NSV 17 | TAL 42 | NHA 4 | NZH 23 | CLT 43 | DOV 9 | SBO 5 | GLN 19 | MLW 6 | MYB 5 | GTY 4 | IRP 3 | MCH 16 | BRI 34 | DAR 13 | RCH 31 | DOV 16 | CLT 22 | CAL 19 | CAR 12 | HOM 32 | | | | | | 8th | 3419 |
| 1998 | Akins-Sutton Motorsports | 38 | Ford | DAY 28 | CAR 14 | LVS 30 | NSV 10 | DAR 11 | BRI 4 | TEX 27 | HCY 27 | TAL 10 | NHA 27 | NZH 36 | CLT 8 | DOV 8 | RCH 18 | PPR 4 | GLN 11 | MLW 2 | MYB 11 | CAL 12 | SBO 25 | IRP 8 | MCH 8 | BRI 18 | DAR 12 | RCH 33 | DOV 3 | CLT 13 | GTY 38 | CAR 32 | ATL 13 | HOM 26 | | | | | 5th | 3533 |
| 1999 | Akins-Sutton Motorsports | 98 | Ford | DAY 21 | CAR 7 | LVS 26 | ATL 8 | DAR 2 | TEX 12 | NSV 8 | BRI 3 | TAL 41 | CAL 7 | NHA 1 | RCH 34 | NZH 32 | CLT 8 | DOV 9 | SBO 23 | GLN 11 | MLW 34 | MYB 7 | PPR 8 | GTY 13 | IRP 8 | MCH 26 | BRI 7 | DAR 14 | RCH 16 | DOV 26 | CLT 19 | CAR 14 | MEM 3 | PHO 15 | HOM 13 | | | | 5th | 3891 |
| 2000 | Akins Motorsports | 98 | Ford | DAY 30 | CAR 12 | LVS 25 | ATL 18 | DAR 9 | BRI 12 | TEX 28 | NSV 13 | TAL 18 | CAL 9 | RCH 34 | NHA 9 | CLT 9 | DOV 9 | SBO 3 | MYB 3 | GLN 7 | MLW 6 | NZH 2 | PPR 25 | GTY 10 | IRP 6 | MCH 31 | BRI 29 | DAR 3 | RCH 19 | DOV 33 | CLT 29 | CAR 19 | MEM 2 | PHO 11 | HOM 40 | | | | 6th | 3776 |
| 2001 | Akins Motorsports | 98 | Ford | DAY 43 | CAR 29 | LVS 8 | ATL 35 | DAR 9 | BRI 17 | TEX 21 | NSH 5 | TAL 6 | CAL 12 | RCH 40 | NHA 9 | NZH 11 | CLT 19 | DOV 6 | KEN 4 | MLW 6 | GLN 6 | CHI 8 | GTY 8 | PPR 30 | IRP 4 | MCH 7 | BRI 5 | DAR 2 | RCH 8 | DOV 11 | KAN 16 | CLT 9 | MEM 26 | PHO 38 | CAR 10 | HOM 2 | | | 5th | 4100 |
| 2002 | Brewco Motorsports | 37 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | NSH | TAL | CAL | RCH | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | GTY | PPR | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | ATL | CAR 22 | PHO 20 | HOM 22 | | 70th | 297 |