BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 13, 2010) — In his first career Truck Series start at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), Elliott Sadler overcame adversity and the elements to score his second consecutive top-10 finish for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI).
After rain washed out the final Truck Series practice, Sadler laid down a 41.076-second lap in qualifying, earning a fifth-place starting position in the VFW 200.
After taking the green flag, the field experienced the first caution of the day for a two-truck incident on lap five, and Sadler radioed crew chief Butch Hylton to inform him that the No. 2 Grange Insurance Chevrolet Silverado was turning too freely. When the leaders chose to stay on the racetrack, Sadler followed suit, but the team would have their first chance to adjust on the KHI machine when the second yellow was displayed on lap 12. Calling Sadler onto pit road for fuel and a track-bar adjustment, Hylton opted not to take tires in favor of track position.
The team took the green flag from the fifth position on lap 19, but one lap later, Sadler began to drop dramatically off the pace. Informing the crew that he had a tire going down, Sadler was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop under green-flag conditions for four fresh tires and returned to the track in the 32nd spot, one lap down. Upon inspection of the removed tires by the pit crew and Goodyear, it was discovered that Sadler’s right-front tire was punctured, causing it to go flat. Goodyear provided the team with an extra pair of right-side tires to replace the defective set, but it would take more than new tires to put the No. 2 back into contention for the win.
With fresh tires, Sadler’s lap times were once again consistent with the leaders despite being a lap down. The rain that had been looming over the track all day would play into the No. 2 team’s hands when the sky opened up over MIS on lap 35, bringing out the yellow flag, followed by a 45-minute red flag. After the skies cleared and track drying was complete, Sadler would benefit from NASCAR’s wave around rule by opting not to pit, and restarted on the lead lap in 25th on lap 41.
Despite having older tires than the leaders, in only 10 laps Sadler would work his way up to the ninth position, and by lap 63 he would be scored in the seventh position, running lap times 0.3-seconds faster than the leaders. Kicking off green-flag pit stops on lap 64, Sadler brought the No. 2 onto pit road for four tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment. By lap 79, the entire field had cycled through pit stops, and Sadler had worked the Grange Insurance Chevrolet into fifth place, running lap times that were an entire second faster than the leaders.
The yellow would come out on lap 85 for oil on the race track, and crew chief Hylton made a bold call to give up track position and take four tires, hoping it would give Sadler the best possible chance of visiting Victory Lane. Restarting 14th on lap 89, Sadler picked up four positions in just one lap. Before the lap was complete, the No. 15 truck would spin just inches in front of the No. 2, but quick wheel work and skillful spotting allowed Sadler to avoid incident.
Under caution for the final time, Sadler informed Hylton that the four tires he’d taken during his previous pit stop did not have the effect that the team had hoped, and that he was way too loose to compete for the win. Green flag racing resumed on lap 93 with Sadler in the 10th position. Battling hard with his competitors and with the handling of his vehicle, Sadler earned one more position before crossing the finish line ninth.
“We really should have had a better finish today,” said Sadler after the race. “We got behind early with the flat tire, but once we got back on the lead lap, we were really fast. We thought we’d have an advantage taking tires on that last pit stop, but we wound up getting really, really loose on the final run and I couldn’t do anything with the truck. I’m really glad that we could at least earn a solid top 10 tonight in the Grange Insurance Chevrolet.”
Aric Almirola earned his second win of the season at the conclusion of the VFW 200, followed by Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch, KHI teammate Ron Hornaday and Austin Dillon. The No. 2 team now sits fourth in the Owner’s Points standings, 93 points out of first.
The Truck Series hits the track again on Sunday, July 11, for the Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway, where Ken Schrader will be behind the wheel of the No. 2. The race can be seen live on SPEED at 1:30 p.m. ET.
STATS RECAP
Race Info
June 12, 2010
Michigan International Speedway
Race: 9 of 25
Driver: Elliott Sadler
Started: 5th
Finished: 9th
Owner Point Standings: 4th (-93)
Race Length: 100 Laps/200 Miles
Track Layout: 2-mile
Shape: D-Shaped Oval
Next on the Truck Series Schedule:
Date: July 11, 2010
Driver: Ken Schrader
Track: Iowa Speedway
Event Name: Lucas Oil 200 presented by SPEED on Mediacom
Broadcast Time: SPEED 1:30 p.m. ET