Elliott Sadler
Template:NASCAR current driver
Elliott William Barnes Sadler (born April 30, 1975 in Emporia, Virginia) is a race car driver in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. He currently drives the #19 Dodge Dealers / UAW Dodge Charger for Evernham Motorsports with teammates Kasey Kahne and Scott Riggs. His brother Hermie Sadler is also a NASCAR driver. Sadler attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia on a basketball scholarship until he injured his knee, effectively ending his basketball career. He has three career Craftsman Truck Series starts, his best finish coming at Richmond in 2000. His older brother is Hermie Sadler who races in the NASCAR Busch Series.
1983-1995
Sadler began racing in go-karts at the age of seven, and 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.[citation needed]
When he turned 18, he moved to the Winston Racing Series and ran full-time beginning in 1993. That same year, he achieved his first victory, and in 1995 was crowned track champion at South Boston Speedway, where he achieved 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.
2005-present
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 second at Richmond. Sadler has repeatedly said that he feels his team is not performing up to par this season, and it has been confirmed by sources close to Robert Yates Racing[1] [2] that he will be heading over to Evernham Motorsports to drive the #19 Dodge in 2007 (and according to a recent article on NASCAR.com, could move over to the #19 sooner than expected, with Jeremy Mayfield's August 11, 2006 firing opening up the seat permanently). It has yet to be confirmed, but sources have stated Sadler has left RYR, packing his stuff on August 14, if so it is undetermined who will finish the 2006 in the #38. Speculation has centered on either Mayfield or newcomer David Gilliland (who is the leading candidate to drive the #38 in 2007) as being the choice to fill the seat of the #38 for the remainder of 2006.
On August 15, 2006, Sadler was officially released from his contract at RYR, and will begin driving the #19 Evernham Dodge at Michigan. David Gilliland will take over the #38 ride at the race, but it's unknown whether or not he'll race the entire rest of the schedule in the car (due to his inexperience, Mayfield's name has been floated around as a temporary replacement).
The following day (August 16, 2006) Evernham Motorsports officially named Elliott Sadler as their driver beginning at Michigan International Speedway. That Sunday, August 20th, Sadler recorded a Top-Ten finish (10th) in his first start with Evernham Motorsports. It was the #19 Dodge's first top ten of the season.
Trivia
- Sadler is known to like fried bologna sandwiches, and once ate sixteen of them in one sitting at the South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia, which is a Virginia state record.
- Sadler is a huge fan of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill athletics.
- He loves hunting, and during the off season, he serves as a hunting guide in Virginia. He is also an avid golfer, playing two times a week during the racing season.
- Sadler keeps 38 (a reference to his previous car number) hunting dogs at his Virginia home, and he can identify each of them by the sound of their bark.
- Sadler attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia before entering the Busch Series in 1997.
- Sadler attended JMU on a basketball scholarship until his career was ended by a knee injury.
- Elliott was involved in 6 sports in high school, excelling in baseball and basketball. He was recruited by no fewer than 18 colleges.
- Elliott was named after his uncle Bud Elliott, whom Sadler credits as starting the racing tradition.
- EA Sports has put Elliott Sadler's face on the NASCAR 07 video game box.Game released September 6 2006, Sadler has been apart from M&M's team since August 16 2006.
External links
- Elliott and Hermie Sadler Fan Club
- Elliott Sadler Career Statistics
- Coca-Cola Racing Family's Elliott Sadler profile
- Video of Sadler's failed stage dive
- Elliot Sadler going to Evernham Motorsports
- Silly Saga: Elliot Sadler going to Evernham
- Doug Yates confirms Elliot Sadler is leaving
- Evernham Motorsports confirms Elliot Sadler as driver at Michigan
Lives in Mooresville NC down the street from Kasey Kahne & Jamie McMurray.