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Sadler starts ride with Evernham on right foot
New driver of No. 19 qualifies second in first weekend with team
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
August 18, 2006
06:46 PM EDT (22:46 GMT)
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Elliott Sadler hadn't been so nervous since he qualified for the Daytona 500 during his rookie season in 1999.
He transformed the nerves into raw speed.
Sadler, driving the No. 19 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports for the first time after a drama-filled two weeks, qualified second for Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.
He appeared headed for the pole until Jeff Burton knocked him off with a late run of 187.936 mph.
"It would have been a cool fairytale if we'd sat on the pole our first week," said Sadler, who ran a lap of 187.071. "That might have been too good to be true."
Sadler originally agreed to replace Jeremy Mayfield in the 19 next season. But Mayfield fell out of the top 35 in owners' points last month at Indianapolis to set the wheels in motion for a faster transition.
Mayfield was fired two weeks ago and replaced by Bill Elliott for the race at Watkins Glen International. On Tuesday, Sadler was given his immediate release from Robert Yates Racing and by Wednesday he was testing the 19 at Kentucky.
"It's a little difficult changing in the middle of the season," Sadler said. "You get used to a system and you're doing the same things each and every weekend."
The adjustment process didn't take long. Sadler was second-fastest in practice right off the truck.
That helped ease some of the stress of knowing he had to be one of the fastest of the cars not in the top 35 guaranteed a starting position.
"Before we made a lap on the racetrack we felt a top-15 would be very, very good," Sadler said. "If we came here and got a top-15 finish, we were going to be fine.
"That was a realistic goal. After the first lap and we went right to the top of the chart, of course your goals change a little bit."
But Sadler's ultimate goal is to get the 19 back in the top 35 so he won't have to qualify on speed to start next season.
"I drove the car a little conservative, but good enough to give us a great lap," Sadler said.
Sadler hopes he can provide a spark for a team that struggled with Mayfield, whose departure from EMS wasn't on the best of terms as he and owner Ray Evernham got into a courtroom battle of "he said, he said."
"I don't think we can move forward without putting some of that stuff behind us," said Sadler, who was 20th in points at RYR. "I'm trying to put everything out of my mind and look forward to working with Kasey [Kahne] and Scott [Riggs]."
Sadler used the same basic setup as Kahne and Riggs, which Evernham said didn't work this season for Mayfield, who is the defending champion of this race.
"It's going to be a tough road for all of us," Sadler said. "We know that. It's tough racing out there every week and being outside the top 35 is putting a little more pressure on all of us.
"We're going to have to keep working hard, keep our nose down and we'll dig out of it."
More qualifying laps like Friday's will help.
"It was a pretty nerve-racking lap," Sadler said. "I don't remember my heart beating that fast in a long time."