BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) - Elliott Sadler went 14 years without a victory in the Nationwide Series. Now, he has two in the last three weeks.
Sadler picked up his second victory of the season Saturday when his crew chief left him out on the track on old tires during the final caution at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The call put Sadler in the lead on the final restart and he easily held off Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski.
Prior to his win at Phoenix, Sadler had not won in the Nationwide Series since Oct. 31, 1998, at Rockingham. "To win two of the first four races is awesome, and we've got to keep adding to them. There's blood in the water," said Sadler, the Nationwide Series points leader.
Sadler raced to his first career Sprint Cup victory at Bristol in 2001, when he stayed out on old tires and pulled off an improbable victory.
Crew chief Luke Lambert was a senior in high school watching that 2001 race from the grandstands, and decided Saturday to borrow that strategy.
Sadler ran for the Nationwide title last season, but went winless and finished second to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing in the final standings.
Original Print Headline: Sadler's win at Bristol widens points advantage
NASCAR NATIONWIDE
Ford EcoBoost 300
Saturday at Bristol, Tenn.
Lap Length: .533 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
Carmaker abbreviations: C=Chevrolet, D=Dodge, F=Ford, T=Toyota
1. (4) E. Sadler, C, 300 laps, 47 points, $54,518.
2. (12) K. Kahne, C, 300, 0, $32,275.
3. (7) Bra. Keselowski, D, 300, 0, $26,225.
4. (1) J. Logano, T, 300, 0, $32,700.
5. (16) D. Earnhardt Jr., C, 300, 0, $25,375.
6. (3) R. Stenhouse Jr., F, 300, 39, $29,268.
7. (10) J. Allgaier, C, 300, 37, $26,603.
8. (2) T. Bayne, F, 300, 37, $26,463.
9. (6) K. Harvick, C, 300, 0, $19,800.
10. (15) R. Truex, T, 300, 34, $26,993.
11. (21) M. Annett, F, 300, 33, $25,918.
12. (9) A. Dillon, C, 300, 32, $20,150.
13. (23) S. Hornish Jr., D, 300, 31, $25,518.
14. (11) J. Buescher, C, 299, 0, $25,468.
15. (13) M. Bliss, T, 299, 29, $19,900.
16. (14) C. Whitt, C, 299, 28, $25,343.
17. (8) Ky. Busch, T, 299, 0, $19,025.
18. (18) T. Malsam, T, 298, 26, $25,243.
19. (27) D. Patrick, C, 298, 25, $25,168.
20. (25) J. Clements, C, 297, 24, $25,793.
21. (29) E. Darnell, C, 297, 23, $18,575.
22. (36) J. Dick, C, 296, 22, $24,993.
23. (37) M. Wallace, C, 296, 21, $24,943.
24. (31) B. Gordon, C, 294, 20, $21,025.
25. (34) J. Bowles, D, 293, 19, $25,318.
26. (32) J. Earnhardt, F, 293, 18, $18,300.
27. (40) E. McClure, T, 292, 17, $24,718.
28. (20) K. Fowler, F, 292, 16, $18,175.
29. (24) J. Long, C, 291, 15, $24,593.
30. (30) J. Nemechek, T, 291, 14, $24,343.
31. (42) K. Lepage, C, 291, 13, $23,838.
32. (41) B. Teague, C, 284, 12, $23,703.
33. (17) K. Wallace, T, engine, 201, 11, $23,593.
34. (33) T. Bell, C, accident, 186, 10, $23,558.
35. (5) B. Scott, T, clutch, 183, 9, $23,528.
36. (38) J. Gase, F, handling, 123, 8, $23,493.
37. (39) T. Schendel, C, suspension, 119, 7, $16,990.
38. (19) B. Koch, F, engine, 117, 6, $23,399.
39. (43) J. Yeley, F, brakes, 15, 0, $16,830.
40. (26) C. Miller, C, brakes, 7, 4, $16,805.
41. (22) S. Speed, C, vibration, 6, 0, $16,775.
42. (28) J. Green, T, vibration, 3, 2, $16,725.
43. (35) J. Wise, C, electrical, 3, 0, $16,668.
Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 94.740 mph.
Time of Race: 1 hour, 41 minutes, 16 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 1.159 seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 30 laps.
Lead Changes: 5 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J.Logano 1-66; K.Busch 67-106; J.Logano 107-159; T.Bayne 160-223; R.Stenhouse Jr. 224-264; E.Sadler 265-300.
Top 10 in Points: 1. E.Sadler, 178; 2. R.Stenhouse Jr., 153; 3. T.Bayne, 149; 4. A.Dillon, 148; 5. C.Whitt, 137; 6. S.Hornish Jr., 129; 7. T.Malsam, 116; 8. M.Annett, 115; 9. J.Allgaier, 113; 10. M.Bliss, 92.
