Elliott Sadler



PERSONAL PROFILE

Hometown: Emporia, VA
Birthdate: April 30, 1975


Elliott Sadler has not had the chance to build the consistency he craves in his short Winston Cup career. But in his two-year employer Wood Brothers Racing, the support of chassis and engine supplier Roush Racing and the new elements provided by new sponsor Motorcraft and crew chief Pat Tryson Sadler is looking for a watershed year in 2001.

The Woods continued their long-standing relationship with Roush in 2000 and expanded it at the end of the year in a preview of the current program, which provides the Stuart, Va., team with chassis and hardware, engines and technical support.

For a good part of his sophomore season Sadler, a native of Emporia, Va., maintained a position in the top-25 of the point standings. Expected to show vast improvement in 2000 -- the Woods' 50th year in racing -- Sadler suffered what could at best be called a disappointing season, scoring just one top-10 finish and finishing 29th in points.

The team's low point came at Talladega in April when Sadler failed to qualify for the DieHard 500. He qualified 25th and finished 17th in the second Talladega race, using a car built by Roush. He also used Roush chassis in two other races to prepare for the 2001 season, when all the team's hardware will be provided by the Roush conglomerate.

Sadler's best finish came in the night race at Bristol, when he was a career best seventh. He best start was sixth at Darlington in March, but the team struggled in qualifying and was forced to use six provisionals to make races. Sadler had an average start of 26.875 and an average finish of 26.250 and he suffered four DNFs.

Sadler, who won five races and scored 12 top-5 and 24 top-10 finishes in 76 career Busch Series starts, was more consistent in his rookie year. After crashing out of the first two races of the year, he finished every other race and ended up 24th in the standings. He made his career best start, fourth, in the Coca-Cola 600.

The younger brother of Busch Series veteran Hermie Sadler was forecast for greatness when he won three races and finished fifth in the Busch Series in his first full season, 1997. He slid back to win twice and finish eighth in points for Diamond Ridge Motorsports in 1998.

He was the Late Model Stock Car champion at his home track, South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 1995.