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Elliott Sadler
Driver  No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger

Elliott Sadler made a strategic off-track decision during the 2006 season, a move expected to create new opportunities for on-track success in his future in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

After three-and-a-half seasons with Robert Yates Racing, Sadler joined forces with Evernham Motorsports as the driver of the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger. He took the wheel of his new ride at Michigan in August for the final 14 races with his new team.

Sadler and his new team got off to an impressive start at Michigan. He qualified on the outside pole and finished 10th in the No. 19 Dodge. He ended up with two top-10 finishes, but more importantly, the team cleared the transition hurdle and appears primed for a solid 2007 season.

Sadler provided plenty of feedback to his team, information that also proved valuable for teammates Kasey Kahne and Scott Riggs. All three Evernham Motorsports teams enter the 2007 season using the same baseline setup in the racecars.

The 2007 season marks the ninth year Sadler will compete in the Nextel Cup Series. His success in NASCAR’s premiere series is no surprise to those who knew him during his youth in his Virginia hometown of Emporia. As the youngest of Herman and Bell Sadler’s three children, Sadler joined a family whose time was spent traveling the short-track circuit of Virginia.

The Sadler family began their involvement in racing nearly 45 years ago. Bud Elliott, Sadler’s uncle for which he was named, and father Herman Sadler, along with their brothers, raced on the short tracks of Virginia long before the young Sadler was born. It was here where, just as his father and uncle before him, Sadler received his training on the short tracks of his home state.
 

Climbing behind the wheel of his first go-kart at age seven, Sadler captured over 200 victories before moving on to the heavier stock cars. At the age of 18, Sadler joined the ranks of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, claiming a track championship title at South Boston Speedway in 1995. His success in the series served as a stepping-stone to the NASCAR Busch Series after he caught the eye of team owner Gary Bechtel. Bechtel tabbed the young driver to pilot his car in a full-season Busch Series effort in 1997.

Sadler wasted no time in proving his ability. The rookie driver captured the pole for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. Thirteen starts are all Sadler would need to capture his first career Busch Series win at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway. Sadler rounded out his rookie year with three more poles and victories at Myrtle Beach Speedway and Gateway International Raceway. He finished the year an impressive fifth in the Busch Series point standings. Sadler scored two more Busch Series wins in 1998 (Bristol Motor Speedway and North Carolina Speedway), in what would be his final season as a full-time Busch Series driver.

In 1999, the legendary Wood Brothers, also native to Virginia, looked no further than their own backyard to find the driver for their No. 21 entry and signed Sadler to his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride. Their first victory together came in 2001 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Sadler’s 75th career start. The win in “Thunder Valley” was monumental for two reasons. First, Sadler started deep in the field in the 38th spot. More importantly, it returned the Wood Brothers to victory lane for the first time since 1993.

After four seasons, Sadler and the Wood Brothers parted ways and the Virginia native headed for Robert Yates Racing (RYR). Sadler had two Bud Poles (Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway) in 2003 with his No. 38 team. He completed the year with two top-five and nine top-10 finishes which earned him a 22nd-place finish in the season point standings. Energy was infused into Sadler's team with personnel changes during the off-season, setting the stage for Sadler’s most successful season to date.

His 2004 season proved to be a breakout one as the Virginia native surprised many in the garage area. Sadler struck early at the season opening event as Daytona International Speedway by winning the outside pole for the Daytona 500. Later in Speedweeks, he won in the Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying event that gave primary sponsor M&M’s their first ever trip to Victory Lane.

Success was sweet and continued throughout the season as Sadler saw more of the same with an emotional win at Texas Motor Speedway. Later in the season Sadler scored his third career victory at California Speedway, clinching a position in the inaugural NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Chase for the Championship. Sadler was one of four drivers to stay in the top 10 in the point standings the entire season and rounded out the year with two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He finished ninth in the final standings.

In 2005, Sadler was strong out of the gate. He stayed in the top five in the point standings throughout the first half of the season. However, late season difficulties plagued the No. 38 team as they narrowly missed qualifying for their second Chase for the Championship. Sadler was 11th in points after the cutoff race at Richmond International Raceway in September. Still, there were several highlights for Sadler in 2005 as he clinched four pole positions including the starting spot at the prestigious Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After three and a half seasons with RYR, Sadler made the move to Evernham Motorsports in August of 2006.


Elliott Sadler
Career Statistics:

Starts: 285 Wins: 3 Poles: 7 Top-Five finishes: 16 Top-10 finishes: 53

2006 -- Moved to Evernham Motorsports from Robert Yates Racing in August for the last 14 races of the season. In his first race in the No. 19 Dodge, he started second and finished 10th. He had two top-10 finishes and started on the outside pole twice and in the top five four times in the No. 19 Dodge. For the season, he had one top-five and seven top-10 finishes. His best effort came in the season-opening Daytona 500 when he started third and finished fourth. He finished 22nd in the season point standings.

2005 -- Finished 13th in the Nextel Cup point standings. He started from the Bud Pole four times during the season. His best finish of second came at Bristol in the spring after starting from the pole. He had 12 top-10 finishes during the yea and led 383 laps, a career-best during a season. He finished second in the NASCAR NEXTREL All-Star Challenge.

2004 -- Earned a berth in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup and finished ninth in the final standings. He posted career-best results in many categories including wins (two), top-five (eight) finishes, top-10 (14) finishes and winnings ($6,241,034). Began season with second-fastest qualifying time for the Daytona 500 and won the second of the two 125-lap qualifying races. His wins came at Texas in April and California in September. He failed to finish only one race during season, the lowest DNF total of any driver who competed in all 36 races. He led 254 laps during the season with a 11.7 average starting spot and 15.9 average finish.

2003 -- Moved to Robert Yates Racing after four-year stint with Wood Brothers. He finished 22nd in series points. He captured his first Bud Pole of his career at Darlington in the fifth race with his new race team. He finished the season with a career-best nine top10 finishes, including two in the top five.

2002 -- Finished 23rd in series points in final season with Wood Brothers operation. He started the season strong, finishing second in the season-opening Daytona 500 and the spring race at Darlington. He earned a career-best starting spot when he posted the second fastest time at Texas and repeated the effort a few weeks later when he started on the outside of the front row for the Coca-Cola 600. Announced in August we would leave the Wood Brothers to join Robert Yates Racing.

2001 -- Finished 20th in the series point chase, a career best. He took the Wood Brothers to victory lane for the first time since 1993 with a victory at Bristol in March. The win came in Sadler’s 75th career start. He finished third in the Pepsi 400 for his only other top-10 finish of the year.

2000 -- Finished 29th in the series standings. He had one top-10 finish during the season. His best finish of seventh came in the night race at Bristol. His best start of sixth came at Darlington in March.

1999 -- Finished 24th in the series standings as driver of the Wood Brothers entry, his first full season in NASCAR’s premier series. He was runner-up to Tony Stewart in the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year chase. He had one top-10 finish, but was running at the finish in all but two races.

1998 -- Made Cup Series debut in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He drove two races during the season for car owner Gary Bechtel and Diamond Ridge Motorsports. He started fourth and finished 20th in the exhibition race in Japan, driving the Wood Brothers entry.

Other Accomplishments:

· Recipient of the 2003 Outstanding Young Virginian Award in 2003.
· Had five wins, five poles and 12 top-five finishes in 76 career NASCAR Busch Series starts before moving to the Cup Series full-time in 1999.
· Won two Busch Series races and finished eighth in the point standings in 1998.
· In his rookie season in the Busch Series in 1997, he claimed the pole for the season-opening event at Daytona and visited victory lane (Nazareth) in only his 13th start. He finished his rookie season with four poles, three wins and was fifth in the season standings.
· Ran a limited NASCAR Busch Series schedule in 1996 (13 races) and 1995 (two races).
· In 1995, he won the track championship at South Boston (Va.) Speedway, winning 13 races including a string of six straight.
· He moved to the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series at the age of 18, competing a full season in 1993.
· Started racing go-karts at the age of seven, winning more than 200 races.
· Multi-sports standout in high school. Inked an athletic scholarship (basketball) to James Madison University, but suffered a knee injury.

Elliott Sadler
Personal Facts:

FULL NAME:  Elliott William Barnes Sadler
BIRTHDATE:  April 30, 1975
HOMETOWN:  Emporia, Va.
FAMILY BUSINESS:  Car dealerships, including a Dodge dealership in Franklin, VA
MENTORS:  Uncle Bud Elliott, Dale Jarrett, and Hermie Sadler
FAVORITE TRACKS:  Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond
FAVORITE DODGE:  Dodge Ram SRT Pickup Truck
FAVORITE TV SHOW:  Seinfeld
FAVORITE MOVIE:  Friday & Wedding Crashers
TOP MUSIC ARTISTS:  Bon Jovi, Eminem, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Toby Keith, Blake Shelton
TOP VIDEO GAMES:  Halo, Madden 07, NASCAR 07, Tiger Woods Golf, Project Gotham Racing
HOBBIES:  Golf, Hunting, Fantasy Auto Racing and Playing Video Games
TOP COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM:  UNC Tarheels
TOP COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM:  Virginia Tech Hokies