| | | | | | | 19 - Elliott Sadler | Emporia, VA |
| | Primary Sponsor: McDonald's
Manufacturer: Dodge
Car Owner: Ray Evernham
Team: Evernham Motorsports During the 2006 season, Elliott Sadler left Robert Yates Racing and teamed up Evernham Motorsports as driver of the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger. After three and half seasons with Robert Yates Racing, Sadler made the move expecting to create new chances for success racing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. He began driving the No. 19 in August for the last 14 races with his new team. At Michigan, Sadler qualified on the outside pole and finished 10th. Sadler ended the season with two top-10 finishes, and stands ready to compete with his Evernham Motorsports team in the 2007 season.
Sadler’s family has a rich history in racing that began 45 years ago. Sadler Sadler’s uncle Bud Elliott and his father Herman Sadler, along with their brothers, raced on the short tracks of Virginia, and later the younger Sadler got his training on the short tracks in his home state.
After hopping into a go-kart at age seven, Sadler eventually saw more than 200 go-kart wins before moving on to heavier stock cars. By the time he was 18, he stepped into the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, and in 1995 he won a track championship title at South Boston Speedway.
In 1997, Sadler began his first full Busch Series season, winning the pole at Daytona in the season opener. He won four poles that year, one of which resulted in his first career win at Nazareth. In two races that season, Sadler started a race first and finished the same. He finished fifth in the point standings, with three wins, six top-fives and 10 top-10s.
In 1998, Sadler made his NEXTEL Cup debut, and in 1999, the Wood brothers, also from Virginia, gave Sadler his first chance to race in the Cup Series full time. He had one top-10 that season and another the next year – it wasn’t until 2001 that Sadler won his first Cup race at Bristol, setting a track record in the process. Starting in 38th position, it was the deepest a driver had ever started at the half-mile track and still gone on to win. It also gave the Wood brothers a win for the fifth consecutive decade.
After four seasons with the Wood brothers, Sadler moved on to Robert Yates Racing. Sadler’s breakout year would come in 2004. He won the outside pole for the Daytona 500 at the season opening event. After scoring his third career victory at California Speedway, he clinched a spot in the inaugural NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Chase for the Championship. He finished out the year with two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, putting him at 9th in the final standings. Sadler was also one of four drivers to stay in the top 10 in point standings the entire season.
Sadler barely missed qualifying for the Chase in 2005, but still clinched four pole positions, including a starting spot at the Brickyard 400.
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