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NASCAR WCUP: Patience is a virtue at Bristol too

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
March 21, 2001

ELLIOTT SADLER - 21 - Motorcraft Ford Taurus said before Darlington that the reason he liked the South Carolina track is that patience is rewarded there. He echoed those thoughts when he talked about this week's Winston Cup race at Bristol.

YOU SAID LAST WEEK THAT ONE OF THE REASONS YOU LIKE DARLINGTON IS THAT YOU ARE A PATIENT DRIVER. WHERE DOES PATIENCE GET YOU AT BRISTOL? "Bristol is such a tight racetrack that if you try to push and bully your way through there you are going to knock your front end off, or knock the steering out so you would be pretty much done for the day. So you have to use a lot of patience there also picking and choosing and finding the right holes and going with them. If you get too anxious, you're going to be in trouble."

SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE AT BRISTOL? "More aggressive? No, I just think you might hold onto your area a little harder or whatever you've got. But as far as pushing and beating on whoever is in front of you, I don't believe in that. I think if you've got a fast car you've got to work on somebody to be able to pass them. Anybody can go up there and knock the heck out of somebody to pass them, but to be able work somebody like you are supposed to and be able to pass them and save your car then you'll have something to win with. You're not going to win at Bristol with your whole front end tore all to pieces."

YOU HAD YOUR BEST FINISH AT BRISTOL LAST YEAR (SEVENTH IN THE 2000 NIGHT RACE). WHAT MAKES BRISTOL A GOOD TRACK FOR ELLIOTT SADLER? "I don't know. I just like it. It's just one of those places I went to when I first started and I adapted to it very well. Just always ran good there, there and Darlington. I always had good success running there. There are just some places a driver adapts to and some places they don't. Bristol is my favorite place to race at. I like going there. I like running good there.

Sadler's history at Bristol:

Started Finished Status

  • 2000 - spring 9 41 Running
  • 2000 - fall 11 7 Running
  • 1999 - spring 17 26 Running
  • 1999 - fall 31 35 Running
  • 1998 - fall 32 24 Running

Text provided by Marti Rompf

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