Sadler Seeking Texas Style Return to Victory Lane

Elliott Sadler spent an uncomfortable day at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday fighting through severe back pain to finish 15th. The Emporia, Va. native hopes that’s all behind him when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

The 1.5-mile track in Fort Worth should remedy Sadler’s ills; if history is an indicator. Sadler won this race in 2004 leading 48 laps en route to Victory Lane. A year before, he led 91 laps nearly winning before a late-race accident ended his race early. Sadler also owns three front-row starts and has led in seven of the 12 Texas races.

Elliott Sadler Quotes:
How is your back? “Like I said after the race Sunday, I was sore but knew I would be paying for it on Monday. I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was going to be, but I’m doing everything the doctors are telling me. I am scheduled to have a scan on Wednesday with Dr. (Mike) Anderson in Emporia to see how everything is on the inside. I know what I feel on the outside, but we just want to keep ahead of this so it doesn’t get worse and try and prevent it from happening again.”

Texas: “Any time you can go to a track where you have won before, your confidence level is already up more than usual. We have had some great starting positions there in the past with three outside poles. I would love to be able to bump that up one and get my first Texas pole.”

Texas Motor Speedway: “I can still remember every one of those closing laps when I won the 2004 race. I had a rookie driver in lap traffic working me over and this hot shot newcomer pushing me for the lead. He led the most laps, but I led the most important one. It’s kind of funny now seeing how the guy that finished second that day is now my teammate Kasey Kahne.

“I’ll tell you one thing about winning at Texas, I do like those big trophies they give out and another one would look good in my house. You always have room to add more hardware from the race track.”

Rodney Childers Quotes
What are you expecting: “Well, the bad news is NASCAR is bringing another tire that we haven’t used before. So, I don’t know what to expect when we unload this weekend at Texas. I just hope it’s one we all like. The good news is we are using the same car we finished 12th with at Las Vegas and, I think, it’s one of the best in our stable.”

Car Info: The No. 19 Best Buy team will race chassis No. 233. It finished 12th at Las Vegas.

TV and Radio Times: Qualifying is set for Friday at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on SPEED TV and PRN Radio. Race time on Sunday is 2 p.m. on Fox TV and PRN Radio.

Sadler Set for Fandango: For fans attending Thursday night’s Fandango at Texas Motor Speedway, they can expect to see Elliott Sadler in attendance. In addition to partaking in the usual fun, word is that he and some other NASCAR drivers might be competing in some video guitar playing.

Best Buy Racing Club Contest on Sirius: In addition to offering up his varied views on topics each Tuesday at 4:40 p.m. on Sirius Speedway, fans can now get it on the fun. Each week, Sadler will answer one selected email question on the air. That lucky person will receive an autographed Reward Zone program Racing Club $50 Gift Card from Best Buy; autographed by Sadler. Fans can send their questions to speedway@sirius-radio.com.

Sadler Foundation Wrestles up Charity Auction: The United Wrestling Federation is offering an opportunity to manage some of the biggest names in wrestling via an online charity auction at www.sadlerfoundation.org beginning on April 1. Proceeds will benefit the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation. Wrestlers available to bid on include Jerry "The King" Lawler, Terri Runnels, Scotty 2 Hotty, Somoa Joe and many more. Fans can also bid to guest ring announce for the main events on both nights.

2008 Season