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2001 Schedule and Results
Virginia 500 - Elliott Sadler Notes
"When you put 43 cars on that short a track, something is going to happen."
Martinsville Speedway has been a difficult track for #21 Motorcraft Racing Ford Taurus driver Elliott Sadler and Wood Brothers Racing over the past three seasons they have raced together. Elliott's best finish was 17th in the fall event last year. Elliott explains why the .526-mile Virginia oval is so difficult.
MARTINSVILLE IS A PRETTY TOUGH RACE TRACK FOR DRIVERS AND THE CARS. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MARTINSVILLE? "That's a pretty tough race track. Five hundred laps around that place, you've got to stay focused because you are on top of somebody all the time. When you put 43 cars on that short a track, something is going to happen. You're on the gas, off the gas, there is a lot of braking going on. It's a tough race track. I've struggled there in the past. It's probably my worst race track. And that makes it hard because it is so close to the Wood Brothers' shop, so close to Stuart, Virginia."
TAKE US AROUND THE TRACK. "You drive in as hard as you can and you're really hard on the brake on the straight and then you are supposed to be free rolling on the cement. The cement just adds a lot of bumps and stuff to the car, but you are supposed to be really smooth on that area. Then you are back on the gas pretty hard, and the transition really throws you when you come back off the cement onto the asphalt. Your tires are spinning a lot if you're not paying attention and really easing through that area. It gives you a lot of different things. Going from the asphalt onto the cement and back to the asphalt has always thrown a curve to my guys and myself, and that's where we really need to work on to be a lot better, so, hopefully, that is something we're going to try to better prepare ourselves for before we get there.
"We've qualified good here the last month. We don't want to go to Martinsville and start 50th, but if I don't change the way I go around that track that is probably where we're going to start at."
YOU NEED A LOT OF FORWARD BITE THERE, BUT THE TURNING IS ALSO PART OF IT. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP ONE OR THE OTHER. "You do. We usually give up the turning part of it for the forward bite because on long runs you need good forward bite there. I think we led like 50 laps or something there last year. I think that's the best we've ever run there. Some of the guys seem to be able to get the turning and the forward bite all at the same time. I need to follow these guys around a little bit.
"It is a patient race track. It's a place where you can't drive in too hard and then you just get the front end sliding and it won't stick. It seems like you're behind on everything you are trying to do. As a driver, I need to work on that part of the race track. If we can do that, I think we will be a lot better."
2001 Schedule and Results
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