Dodge/Save Mart 350 - Elliott Sadler Notes

ELLIOTT SADLER/M&M'S RACING
Dodge/Save Mart 350k
Infineon Raceway/ June 27, 2004

Elliott Sadler Hopes to Make all the 'Right' Turns at Infineon

Elliott Sadler and the M&M'S team head west to Infineon Raceway to compete in the 16th race of the season seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings. Sadler's season has been successful so far as he has picked up four top fives and five top 10s in addition to his win at Texas. One year ago Sadler was 19th in the point standings prior to the Infineon Raceway event.

QUOTING M&M'S DRIVER ELLIOTT SADLER:

On testing... "Wetested at VIR not only to shake down the car but to prepare me as a driver. It's a big change for me as a driver to go from not shifting during races to shifting many, many times every lap. Testing allowed us to make the car comfortable and it also gave me practice up-shifting and down-shifting before we get on the track at Infineon."

On preparation..."I know what to expect when we get to Infineon in terms of the track layout. I played the EA Sports NASCAR Thunder game when I was a rookie just to see how they simulated the elevation changes and the corners. It was great for me to kind of know what to expect. I was able to familiarize myself with the track before we arrived but it doesn't help when there are 42 other guys out there racing against you. We know what we need to do on Sunday in order to have a productive and successful day and hopefully everything will work out in our favor. Regardless of where we are racing on any given weekend on Thursday night I go through the track in my head. As a matter of fact I do it over and over planning as to where I'm going to lift and what line I want to be running. Obviously all of that can change on Friday morning once I'm in the car but that is a piece of mental preparation that I do every weekend."

On passing... "On road courses you typically pass in the hard braking areas. If you try to pass in the high speed, narrow sections of the track you can put yourself in a bad situation and end up off course."

QUOTING CREW CHIEF TODD PARROTT: "We are taking a brand new car that we will probably only run at Infineon. Road course cars are obviously built differently than speedway cars - the weight is distributed in the center because the car has to turn right whereas on a speedway car the weight is on the left side. We tested last week at VIR to prepare for Infineon and it went really well. Elliott Sadler has good road course skills and that together with a good handling car and the right setup - we have a good chance at a solid finish."

QUOTING M&M'S SPOTTER BRETT GRIFFIN: "Spotters are set way up on the top of a hill above the track so we have a great vantage point where we can see about eighty percent of the track. We have a few blind spots where new construction and hospitality villages have been built. The biggest challenge is assisting the drivers around the track when another competitor has run off course. That generates a lot of dust and can make it tough for the drivers to see - similar to a cloud of smoke after a crash on an oval track."

NOTES OF INTEREST...

APPEARANCE...Thursday, June 24thElliott will sign autographs at Save Mart at 1950 W. 11th St., Tracy, CA 95376 from 5p-7p

PIT CREW WINS IN MICHIGAN...The #38 M&M'S crew won in Michiganand is currently second in the McDonald's Powerade Pit Crew Championship, 28 points behind the pit crew of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

SADLER IN TOP TEN...Elliott is one of four drivers who has been ranked in the top 10 all season. Sadler's best performance at Infineon was during the 2002 season when he overcame a 40th place starting position to finish sixth.