NASCAR WCUP: Rules changes effects Sadler's testing at Michigan

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

June 6, 2001

Elliott Sadler and Wood Brothers Racing tested the #21 Motorcraft Ford Taurus at Michigan International Speedway the second week of April. Since that time NASCAR has instituted a rule change for the Winston Cup competitors. Elliott and crew chief Pat Tryson talk about what affect the elimination of bump stops has made for the team.

ELLIOTT SADLER: "Everybody has got to deal with it. We tested at Michigan under the old rules with the bump stops and we ran on them the whole day and we got our car pretty fast. But I think these rules are safer so we have to go back as a team and try to use our notes and knowledge and everything we can gather and try to get the car to run the same without the bump stops when we got back.

"Everybody could use this excuse all year, "well, I've already tested here so I've got to use bump stops, blah, blah, blah". Everybody could use that excuse all year long, but I'm glad they (NASCAR) finally put their foot down and said this is the way it's got to be. I think it is going to be safer racing. I think we're not going to blow out tires and frames are not going to be hitting the track. It just makes things a lot simpler. The cost factor of building bump stop materials on the chassis and frames was going to get out of hand. So I think they did a good job nipping it in the bud.

ARE YOU AND THE TEAM STILL RIDING THE HIGH OF YOUR WIN AT BRISTOL? "It might have some affect, but a lot of races have happened since Bristol and we've dropped down in the points some since then. So we're not really living a high from them as much as I was a couple of races ago. We're just trying to find us a groove and find us a hold on these tires. Right now we know we don't have that especially for qualifying. So we're trying to work on that some and try to give us something else to think good about. If we can get us a top-five, top-ten run here at some of these races coming up then we can start living off that and thinking a little bit further down the road."

PAT TRYSON: "You just kind of adjust for what you've seen at Charlotte and Dover and start there. It shouldn't be too much of a difference. We were using them (bump stops), but we weren't using them real hard so hopefully it won't affect us as much as maybe some of the other people. It hurts us a little bit because we tested with them, but I think it will be a small adjustment for us, not a big adjustment."

Text provided by Marti Rompf

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