Sharpie 500 - Elliott Sadler Notes

ELLIOTT SADLER, M&M’S Racing
Bristol Motor Speedway
August 27, 2005

SADLER, M&M’S® SEEK TOP-FIVE FINISH AT BRISTOL

CHARLOTTE, NC (August 23, 2005) – It’s home to his first NEXTEL Cup Series win, home to one of his four NEXTEL Cup poles and surprisingly home to his only top-five finish of the 2005 season. Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) has been a pivotal track in the career of Elliott Sadler, driver of the M&M’S® Ford. Now it holds great significance in Sadler’s hopes to return as a contender in the Chase for the Championship.

Currently 66 points outside of the top-10 Chase contenders, Sadler and his M&M’S Team know they have ground to make up in this weekend’s Sharpie 500. In a season of short-track successes for the Virginia native, Bristol actually brings confidence with the past two starts for the #38 Team resulting in fifth and second place finishes. Simply said, more of the same is needed Saturday night under the lights in Thunder Valley.

Quoting M&M’S® Driver Elliott Sadler:
“It’s no big secret how important these last three races are for our team in regards to making the Chase. Last week we had a four race season. This week we have a three race season but unfortunately we’ve left ourselves a bigger hole than we had going into next week. I said on Sunday after the race, ‘that I’m afraid my worst nightmare has come true.’ We’re almost in a spot where we can’t dig ourselves out but this team doesn’t believe we’re out of this yet. We just know we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

“Right now, I could care less about New Hampshire. It’s Bristol, California and Richmond – that’s it. We’re going to bring the best stuff we’ve got these last three races starting with this weekend we’re bringing back the car we won the pole and finished second with in the spring. It’s hard to say whether you want to be going to Bristol with the situation we’re in right now. It’s a place where you’re forced into a lot of situations that you don’t necessarily want to be in. There’s absolutely no give and take and anything can happen there so it’s a well earned top-five if you can get one.”

“At the same time, it’s a track we’ve had success on the past couple of times this M&M’S Team has been there. I’ve won at this track and you feel differently about a track that you’ve won at before. You’ve got a different mentality, a different focus because you’ve got a different confidence when you go there. So I feel pretty good about going back there. I know my team will be ready come this weekend.”

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