NASCAR-WCUP: Elliott Saldler Test
24 March 1999
Martinsville Testing for Goodys Body Pain 500 on Sunday, April 18Testing on Monday, March 22-
Elliott Sadler- 21 Citgo Ford
The Wood Brothers plan a two-day test including Tuesday.
Elliott Sadler-
How has your test session gone today?
"We are just trying to get a good baseline going. We are using old tires and havent put a new set of tires on yet. Im just trying to get used to Martinsville Speedway again. It has been about three years since I have been here. I was here in Late Models and never been here in a high powered car. Ive always run good here in the past whenever I came and I have always enjoyed coming here, but I am coming here in different circumstances this time. We wanted to come test and make sure we have a good showing for Citgo and the Wood Brothers organization being we are all from here in Virginia. We are trying a little trick here and a little trick there and trying to get things dialed in for some qualifying runs in the morning."
You were very competitive here at Martinsville in the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division, but a Late Model and a Winston Cup car are two different things here are Martinsville arent they?
"Its a big difference. I had a good line in a Late Model car, and I tried that line for a while and had to change it a little bit to get around here. But its the same old Martinsville, you have to get in through the center of the turn and get back on the gas as soon as possible without losing any speed. Its still the same deal, the slower you feel like you are going the faster your laps times are. If you go into the turns sliding all around, you are going to lose speed. Watching guys like Curtis Markham and people like that dominating Late Model races, the slower those guys looked the faster they ran and thats something I learned to do. Now I have to translate that over to this cup car for a nice smooth run around the bottom. If we can do that and be comfortable with it, we will have a good race car."
Jimmy Hensley, who drives for Richard Petty in the Craftsman Truck Series and has won in the Modified and Busch Grand National Division at Martinsville, will work with Sadler on Tuesday at Martinsville. What do you hope to learn from Jimmy?
"Jimmy is one of the best to ever drive around this race track. No matter what he drove here he ran up front. Maybe he can teach me some of the things I need to know like when to get on or off the brakes, or where I need to have the car in the center or the corner to get it to come off the corner the best. He has a lot of experience and I dont and Im willing to listen."