NASCAR WCUP: Sadler, newest winner on the circuit, optimistic about Texas

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

March 28, 2001

Elliott Sadler, driver of the #21 Motorcraft Taurus and the newest winner on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, is headed for Texas with great optimism. As Elliott explains, he not only likes Texas Motor Speedway but feels that this track presents him with another opportunity to visit victory lane. Now ninth the NASCAR Winston Cup points standings, Sadler and his Wood Brothers racing team have momentum on their side as they travel to the Lone Star State.

"I'm really looking forward to going to Texas. It is probably my strongest track that we race at. I was very fortunate to be able to test a lot of times when the track opened there in the Busch cars and the Cup cars. I sat on the pole the first two times I went there in a Busch car and really ran great there two years in a row in the Cup car. I got a top-10 one-year and then we got wrecked last year.

"It's the place that I feel like I have a chance of winning again at more than any place that we go. I feel like no matter what car we take or what set-up we use I feel sure that we are going to be close. You have a feeling about certain tracks and this is just one of them. This is a place where I really love going. I just like that area. I like the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It's a place that you sort of mark out and it's a fun place to go. I think that is why we run so good there."

HOW DID YOU ADAPT TO THE CHANGES THEY MADE AT THE TRACK AFTER IT WAS BUILT?

"The changes that they made were minor as far as racing goes. They just moved walls and they made it wider on the front straightaway so the concept and the speed was still the same. So I don't think that ever changed.

"I was the very first person to ever go on that race track, the first to test there, me and Jeff Green. I love it. I love the speed of it. I think it's the fastest track that we race at. And I look forward to going there."

Text provided by Marti Rompf

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