Elliott Sadler
Encyclopedia : E : EL : ELL : Elliott Sadler
| Born: | April 30, 1975 | |
| Birthplace: | Emporia, Virginia | |
| Awards: | 1983-1984 Virginia State Karting Championship North Carolina Gold Cup 1991-1992 1995 South Boston Speedway Track Champion | |
| NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Statistics | ||
| Car #, Team | 38 - Robert Yates Racing | |
| 2005 in NASCAR>2005 NEXTEL Cup Position: | 13th | |
| Best Cup Position: | 9th - 2004 (NEXTEL Cup) | |
| First Race: | 1998 Coca-Cola 600 (Lowe's) | |
| First Win: | 2001 Food City 500 (Bristol) | |
| Last Win: | 2004 Pop Secret 500 (California) | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 3 | 50 | 7 |
| All stats current as of July 15, 2006. | ||
Beginnings
Sadler began racing in go-karts at the age of seven, and soon moved up to the Late Model stock car division at the local race track. His accomplishments include over 200 total wins, the 1983-84 Virginia State Karting Championship, and the North Carolina Gold Cup in 1991-92. He was runner-up in 1989 for the World Karting Association national title.When he turned 18, he moved to the Winston Racing Series and ran full-time beginning in 1993. That same year, he got his first victory, and in 1995 was crowned track champion at South Boston Speedway, where he got 13 wins that year, including a 6-race winning streak.
1995-1998
Sadler made his Busch Series debut in 1995 at South Boston. He qualified fifteenth in the #46 DeWalt Tools Chevy, and finished eighth. He ran another race that season at Richmond International Raceway, but finished 24th. He began 1996 driving a part-time schedule for his family-owned team, before switching over to the #29 WCW Chevy owned by Diamond Ridge Motorsports. He had three top-tens in the Diamond Ridge ride, his best finish coming at the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex, where he finished fifth. After making thirteen starts that year, he finished 35th in points.Sadler and Diamond Ridge began 1997 unsponsored, but grabbed two poles, at Daytona and Darlington respectively. Midway through the season, Phillips 66 came onboard as the team's sponsor and Sadler won his first career race at Nazareth Speedway. He followed that up with back-to-back wins at Myrtle Beach Speedway and Gateway International Raceway. He won an additional four pole positions and finished a career-best fifth in points. He also attempted the UAW-GM Quality 500 in the Cup Series for Team SABCO, but failed to qualify.
In 1998, Sadler's team switched to the #66, and won early in the season at Bristol. He made his Cup debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #92 for Diamond Ridge, starting 31st but finishing 42nd after an engine faliure. He ran another Cup race later at Bristol, finishing 24th. After another win at North Carolina Speedway, Sadler announced he would leave Diamond Ridge at the end of the season.
1999-2004
Sadler moved up to the Cup Series full-time in 1999, driving the #21 Citgo Ford Taurus for Wood Brothers Racing. His best finish that year was a tenth at Texas Motor Speedway, and he finished 24th in points, runner-up to Tony Stewart for Rookie of the Year honors. He also returned to the Busch Series on a part-time basis, filling in for the injured Andy Santerre for Innovative Motorsports, his best finish fifth at California Speedway. He also drove a handful of races for Lyndon Amick. Sadler's only finish in 2000 was a tenth at Bristol, and he dropped to twenty-ninth in points.In 2001, Motorcraft became Sadler's new sponsor, and he won his first career Cup race at Bristol. He had another top-ten and finished 20th in points. After seven top-tens and a drop to 23rd in points in 2002, Sadler left for Robert Yates Racing to drive the #38 M&M's Ford. In his first season of competiton with Yates, Sadler won the pole at Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway, and finished 22nd in points.The following season, Sadler won at Texas Motor Speedway and California Speedway and finished a career high ninth in the championship standings.
Presently
Sadler failed to win again in 2005, but won four poles. He also drove sixteen races for RYR's Busch car, the #90 CitiFinancial Taurus, and had three top-five finishes. So far in 2006, Sadler has a pole at Talladega and is ninteenth in points. He has made seven Busch starts, his best finish is eighteenth at Richmond. Sadler has repeatedly said that he feels his team is not performing up to par this season, and is rumored to be heading over to drive the #19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge.External links
- [Elliott and Hermie Sadler Fan Club]
- [Elliott Sadler Career Statistics]
- [Video of Sadler's failed stage dive]
Resources
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