03/15/2015
Sadler Leads Roush Fenway At Phoenix
Elliott Sadler Finishes 12th at Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, AZ (Mar. 14, 2015) – Roush Fenway Racing’s Elliott Sadler finished in 12th-place during Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) race at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Sadler started the morning off well when he qualified 10th for the scheduled 200 lap event. Not long after the start of the race, Sadler radioed to the crew that the engine didn’t feel right. At the first opportunity, Sadler brought the No. 1 OneMain Financial Ford Mustang down pit road. The crew opened the hood and noticed a plug wire popped off. Following the fix, Sadler was able to regain his momentum and started working his way forward. Sadler spent the remainder of the race methodically passing one car at a time. Sadler was the highest finishing Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang at PIR.
“It was extremely unfortunate that we had an engine problem at the beginning of the race,” Sadler said. “From the drop of the green flag, I could feel something wasn’t right under the hood. The No. 1 OneMain Financial crew did a great job recognizing the problem and quickly fixing it. After the fix, the car handled great and I was able to get back in the hunt. The good news is, we’re making baby steps in the right direction. Each week we’ve finished better than the last.”
Sadler started the NXS race at PIR from the 10th position, but slowly shuffled backwards with engine problems.
On lap 49, debris brought out the first caution of the day. Sadler came down pit road and the pit crew checked under the hood for problems after they changed four tires and added fuel to the car. The crew noticed a plug wire popped off and immediately reattached it.
On lap 54, Sadler restarted 19th and quickly started catching the slower cars. By lap 85, Sadler had worked his way up to the 13thposition.
On lap 94, the yellow flag came out again. Under caution, Sadler came down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and the crew made a small track bar adjustment in the rear. Sadler restarted in the 13th position.
The yellow waved again on lap 122, when the No. 01 car collided with the wall. Sadler came down pit road for fuel, two fresh outside tires and a small air pressure adjustment. Sadler restarted in the 10th position.
On lap 141, the No. 9 car brushed another car and spun in front of Sadler. Sadler dove low and managed to miss the spinning car. This spin brought out the last yellow caution flag of the race. Sadler restarted ninth, with 57 laps to go.
In the final 50 laps, competitors with four fresh tires started catching Sadler. Sadler was able to grind it out and crossed the finish line in the 12th position.
With this 12th-place finish, Sadler moved one spot forward from ninth to eighth in the NXS driver point standings.
NEXT UP:
Drive4Clots.com 300
Auto Club Speedway
Fontana, CA
Saturday, March 21, 2015
4:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and MRN
RACE SUMMARY
Elliott Sadler
Started: 10th
Finished: 12th
Complete Race Results:
POINTS SUMMARY
Elliott Sadler
2015 Season Total: Eighth with 114 points
