2003 Holds Exciting News

With an accent you can't miss and a personality that sticks out as one of the best in the garage area, Hermie Sadler is getting prepared for 2003. After making occasional Busch starts last season, he plans on expanding that effort by running the full Busch Grand National series in the #54 Toys R Us Chevrolet for Team Bristol Motorsports. He also plans to run six Winston Cup Series events in conjunction with the Go Team VA promotion which includes James Madison University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech.

At the time Sadler maked the announcement, one major change was a switch in his Winston Cup car manufacturer from Chevrolet to Pontiac. "We're hoping to continue to work and we're switching all of our cars over to Pontiac. We're looking forward to taking the Pontiac out and getting some track time with it. Hopefully we can run well at a variety of racetracks."

What’s in a name?

One of the first things to catch your attention is his unique name, Hermie. The man himself answers where this came from: “I'm a third generation: my grandfather was Herman Senior; my father was Herman Junior and I'm Herman III. They called me that as a nickname to differentiate between them and it's just stuck since then.” His last name of Sadler is a name synonymous with success both on and off the track.

Winning in go-karts, moving up to late models, owning a car dealership

Sadler began his racing career at age 10 in go-karts, capturing the 1988 World Karting Association championship at age 19. After mastering the go-karting ranks, Sadler moved to late model stock cars in the NASCAR Winston Racing Series at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and Orange County (N.C.) Speedway. Four successful seasons in late models enabled the tough competitor to advance his career to the next level with five Busch starts in 1992. That same year Sadler purchased and opened Sadler Auto Center in South Hill, Va., making him the nation's youngest Chevrolet dealer at the time.

The move to Busch Series racing in 1993 - 1994

In 1993 at age 24 he debuted in the NASCAR Busch Series where he ran the full season and earned the prestigious title of "Rookie of the Year." He was driving the attractive black, white and red "Virginia is for Lover's" #25 Oldsmobile owned by Don Beverly. Sadler's accomplishments placed him tenth in the point's standings at the end of the his first season when he recorded 10 top ten finishes, including two third place finishes and a win at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont NC. It was that win that placed Sadler in the record books as the first rookie to win a race in the NASCAR Busch Series since 1991.

In 1994 Sadler won another race at the same track where he picked up his first win the previous season, Orange County Speedway. He established himself as a contender in the series once again driving for Beverly. Four top fives and eight top tens in 28 starts earned him a 5th place in points. At the end of the 1994 season Sadler Motorsports was born and veteran Bobby King was named as crew chief for the Monte Carlos.

Sadler’s own Busch Team 1995 - 1996

In 1995 -1996 Sadler wore both the team owner hat as well as the drivers suit. The #1 DeWalt Tools/Peebles Department Stores car competed in a full season of 26 races run in 1995 season, Sadler earned three top fives and six top tens to finish the year 13th in points. Though he didn’t see victory lane in 1995, his runner-up finishes at Hickory and Dover almost got him there. This year marked his debut in the Craftsman truck series. He ran two races and finished with one top five and one top ten.

At 1996 season end Sadler was ranked 15th in points with one top five and five top tens. He scored his first career Busch Pole award at Milwaukee that season. Sadler’s first ever Winston Cup start was in June when he qualified 30th for the Dover Miller 400 race. He was sidelined with mechanical problems and ended up 37th.

Stepping down as car owner in 1998

In 1998 Sadler sold his team to established Busch Series car owner Gary Bechtel in an effort to focus more on driving. Sadler competed with Bechtel's Diamond Ridge Motorsports team as the driver of the No. 29 DeWalt Chevrolet. He finished the 31-race schedule with impressive 10th place points standing; including five top tens and two top five finishes.

His brother Elliott was 8th in the points that same year as the brothers competed as teammates for Diamond Ridge Motorsports. Hermie’s current streak of 171 consecutive starts was the longest in the Busch Grand National division at that time.

Rotating Busch rides in 1999

During the 1999 season, Sadler ran a schedule of 17 races. He began the 1999 season driving for Parker Racing #72 Chevrolet. His best finish of the year came at New Hampshire International Speedway where he finished seventh. About midway through the season, Parker Racing made the decision to reevaluate their race program and Sadler suddenly no longer had a ride.

In a round of driver changes in July at Bace Motorsports, Hermie Sadler and Brad Leighton were tapped to share driving duties on the #33 Bayer/Alka-Seltzer Chevy. This was after the departure of rookie, Jason Jarrett, who was dismissed after suffering a slight concussion in a wreck during the May race at California Speedway. Johnny Benson, Mike Wallace, and Curtis Markham had all served as substitutes up to that time. The plan was for Sadler to drive the car in 10 of the remaining 15 races on the schedule, with Leighton to race the remaining five.

In the fall of 1999 Sadler was approached by George deBidart to drive the #47 Innovative Motorsports entry for the final six races of the 1999 season, with possible future plans for a fulltime 2000 ride. With the switching around of rides and competing in only a partial schedule, Sadler ended 1999 37th in points. A November press conference announced that Sadler would fill the driver’s seat for the team in a full time position in 2000 and that a new sponsor, Little Trees Air Freshners, was coming aboard.

2000 - another season of variety

Sadler started out the season as the driver of the Innovative Motorsports #30 Little Trees Chevrolet with teammate Mike McLaughlin. After a few competitive difficulties, Sadler was released from the ride in March and Chad Little was hired. Little convinced team owner deBidart there was indeed something wrong with the front-end geometry of their fleet of cars. deBidart said “I heard the news about the cars and the first thing I thought was that I needed to apologize to Hermie. I was wrong. I believe that Sadler was unjustly released. It would be wrong to have something that was overlooked in the shop to have a negative effect on Sadler’s future in the sport.” The Busch season ended with Sadler invited back to the #30 for seven of the remaining 20 races on the schedule.

August news! The World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc participated in their first ever NASCAR race on Aug 25th. Hermie Sadler appeared in the "WWF Summer Slam" Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch race at Bristol where he finished 24th.

Winston Cup 2000: The #60 Power Team and Sadler were slated to run the Homestead race. After being fifth in Saturday practice, a spin on the second lap of second round qualifying erased that chance. Sadler tested well at Atlanta and plans are to run that season ending Winston Cup Race, making that his second Winston Cup attempt for 2000. Team owner Joe Bessey said, "Hermie and I were Busch Series rookies together in 1993 and both of us have always had a great deal of respect for each other. I think that is an important part of success in this business. Although we continue to hunt sponsorship for next year, it is just as important to us to have a good finish for Power Team and Bessey Motorsports this season. We think that the combined effort of Hermie and this team could meet everyone’s needs." Editor's note: Unfortunately, Hermie did not qualify for the Atlanta race.

Truckin’: Sadler competed in Craftsman Truck races in 2000

At Richmond he was teammate to Dennis Setzer in the Bob Keselowski owned #29 where he started third and finished 12th. At Dover Keselowksi had Sadler in the truck again with hotjobs.com as the sponsor when he started 20th and finished 11th.

Filling in and helping out: When truck series regular Lance Norick, driver of the L & R Motorsports #90 Aventis Chevrolet, fractured his wrist at Memphis in May, Sadler subbed for him taking over at the first caution at Pikes Peak (finishing 26), Evergreen Speedway (finishing 20th) and Texas (finishing 13th). He was on stand by for the Kentucky race.

Sadler: MRN Pit Reporter

Sadler had always relished the idea of working in broadcasting and got a chance to make that dream a reality in 2000. He worked as a pit reporter for MRN during the Martinsville truck race and for two Richmond race events as well as several other races. He received praise for his excellent reporting that came from his perspective from being both an owner and a driver.

Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation

In March of 2000 a celebrity basketball classic was held at Brunswick Academy in Lawrenceville, VA. The goal was to raise money for four area school systems. A standing room only crowd watched as Hermie, Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Mike Dillon, WWF’s Big Bossman and Hardcore Holly, Carolina Panthers All-pro tight end Wesley Walls and other stars played the Brunswick Academy Basketball team. A total of $40,000 was presented to local schools from the event that is to be repeated on an annual basis.

Sadler’s success off the track

While he has had wins and achieved awards through racing, Sadler is a man who has also looked for success in other aspects of his life and found it. He is a 1991 graduate from the University of North Carolina with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Relations. While he has a successful business with Sadler Auto Center in South Hill, he still makes time for his family. Sadler and his wife live in his hometown of Emporia with their three children. The family is active in their church as well as with civic functions and sports in addition to participating in their children’s activities.

"The most I can hope for is to duplicate the success I have in my personal life to what I do on the race track," Sadler said. "I consider myself pretty lucky to be blessed with a supportive wife and the best two daughters in the world. If I can be even half as successful in my racing career as I am in my personal life, then my future will indeed be a bright one.”

Questions and Answers from Hermie Sadler:

How do you split your time between your dealership, racing and your growing family?
“It's really all about having good people around you. There's not anybody who can take all the credit when it does well or does bad. I'm fortunate in the automobile business to have good people looking after that. As far as my family, we have a motor home we take along. A lot of the places are good about having a place for us to park, having swings and play areas, etc.

How did you get started in racing?
“I've been going to races since I was 2 or 3. My father used to own a late model sportsman car that he ran on some dirt tracks here. We had a guy who was really into go-kart racing and I started there when I was 3. It grew and grew and grew. One thing led to another and here I am.”

How do you deal with the competition between you and your brother Elliott?
“We've got a great relationship. We've always done things to try and help each other. Elliott is younger than I am so he's always coming in after I've been in. I've already been through some of the struggles and we've always been able to get him a head start. He was at my house this morning and we went over some stuff. He goes and tests and learns things. There have been people who have tried to start a competitive situation between us, but he's always been concerned about me and I've always cared about him.”

Do you prefer short tracks or super speedways?
“When I first came in the series in 1993 I liked shorter tracks because that's where my experience was. I like going into the new places now because they are neat places to go. It matters more really what's in the surrounding areas than the race track itself.

Who was your inspiration when you were growing up?
“We've always had a close family. Not only my parents but also my uncles who also raced and helped us both get started in racing. Its pretty much all the family has ever done or known. We didn't have to go far for advice. I didn't have any heroes growing up, just a lot of support from family.”

Do have a favorite wrestler?
“Steve Austin and The Rock and all those guys are really fun to watch and are down to earth. I admire what they do. That and NASCAR are the two fastest growing things going.”

Note: Sadler and The Rock did a charity promotion at his car dealership in October 2000 and he is an avid fan on Monday nights.