02/28/2015
Elliott Sadler Finishes 18th At Atlanta Motor Speedway
HAMPTON, GA. (Feb. 28, 2015) – Roush Fenway Racing’s Elliott Sadler finished in 18th-place during Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sadler started the race in the 14th position and moved into the top-10 within the first few laps. Sadler’s luck quickly shifted in the opposite direction when his car started to overheat from a tear off landing on his front grill. This bad luck was followed with a pit road penalty and finally in the closing 40 laps of the race, Sadler was sideswiped which forced him to come down for an unscheduled pit stop. After Sadler was pushed back to the 22nd position, he worked his way forward and crossed the finish line in the 18th position.
“Luck just wasn’t in our corner today,” said Sadler. “Hopefully we got rid of a lot of bad luck for the season and we’re now ready for all the good luck to happen.”
Sadler started in the 14th position and quickly moved into the top-10 in the first ten laps.
On lap 47, Sadler came down pit road under green and the No. 1 OneMain Financial crew added fuel, four fresh tires and made a small wedge adjustment in the rear.
Not long after the pit stop, Sadler radioed in that a tear off landed on his front grill and his water temperature was quickly rising. Sadler backed off the throttle and let a car pass in hopes the cross wind would blow off the tear off. The tactic worked, but Sadler had to give up momentum and a position in the process.
Lap 86 brought out the caution flag again and Sadler came down pit road. Entering pit road in the 13th position, Sadler pitted for fuel, tires and a small air adjustment. Following the pit stop, NASCAR issued a penalty to the No. 1 team for a crew member jumping the wall too early. This penalty forced Sadler to restart at the tail end of the lead pack. When the green flag dropped, Sadler restarted from the 17th position.
The bad luck continued when the No. 54 car sideswiped Sadler’s car with less than 50 laps in the race. This collision forced Sadler to come down pit road and fix the damages. After the crew added four tires and fixed the tire rub, Sadler returned to the track in the 22ndposition.
On lap 133, the yellow flag waved again for debris on the track. Sadler stayed out for the wave around and gained a few positions.
Sadler battled in the closing laps and crossed the finish line in the 18th position.
