RACING TO RICHMOND: Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team will head to Richmond International Raceway for the second event of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season at the Virginia track. In April, Sadler and the No. 2 team battled around the 0.75-mile oval to bring home a fourth-place finish.
HOMEBOY: Sadler, a native Virginian, considers Richmond his “home track,” located 45 minutes from his home in Emporia, Va. Sadler has 16 starts at the facility, the most of any tracks on the Nationwide Series schedule, and has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes with a best finish of second in 2005. Sadler also has 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the track with a best finish of seventh in 2005.
KHI AT RICHMOND: KHI has made a total of 19 starts in the Nationwide Series at the 0.75-mile track. Co-owner Kevin Harvick earned the organization’s sole win at the track in September 2010, winning the race from the pole. KHI has a total of seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes in addition to the one win and one pole.
DASH-ING 4 CASH: Sadler is one of four drivers eligible for a chance to win $100,000 at Richmond in the third of four Dash 4 Cash segments. The highest-finishing driver of the four this weekend will win the monetary prize and will automatically qualify for the final event at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October. The three highest-finishing drivers that receive Nationwide Series Championship driver points will also qualify for Charlotte.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 OneMain Financial team prepared chassis No. 068 for the event at Richmond. This is the fifth time the No. 2 team will run this particular chassis. Sadler brought home a fourth-place finish in the first event at Richmond in April with chassis No. 068. The KHI team also ran this chassis at Phoenix International Raceway (12th), Iowa Speedway (fifth) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (12th).
EMCEE AND DIERKS BENTLEY: On Thursday evening, Sadler will attend Richmond’s Rockin’ the Raceway event. Sadler, an avid country music fan, will introduce country star Dierks Bentley at the track’s amphitheater for the first Rockin’ the Raceway event to benefit the Cullather Brian Tumor Quality of Life Center at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital. For more information, please visit www.RIR.com.
MEET ELLIOTT SADLER: Fans will have the opportunity to meet Sadler and see the OneMain Financial Chevrolet on Thursday, September 8 at the OneMain Financial branch in Chester, Va., at 11940 Iron Bridge Plaza. From 3-4 p.m. fans can meet Sadler and get an autograph or a photo by the showcar.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet team brought home a hard-earned top-10 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Saturday night after going a lap down and battling handling problems with the car throughout the weekend.
TO THE POINT: Sadler remains in the second position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver’s Point Standings. With eight events remaining on the schedule, Sadler sits 13 points out of the lead.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Elliott Sadler
How do you feel heading into this week’s race at Richmond International Raceway?
“Man I love going to Richmond. We’ve been going there as a family as fans of the sport for a long, long time. I remember going there in the 1980’s, and I was there when they made the transition from the half-mile to 3/4-mile race track. We’ve been going there a long time, and I still have a lot of family that have reserved seats near the start-finish line. It’s a very special place for me. It’s such a cool feeling to go there as a fan when I was a kid, and then to have the opportunity to race competitively there. A lot of my family and friends will be at that race, so I want to do a good job in front of them. Now that we have the extra incentive running for the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash, we have that extra push for the $100,000. I’m really looking forward to it.”
MOST POPULAR DRIVER: Sadler is eligible for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver award. Fans can vote for Sadler now through November 17 on www.NASCARNationwideSeries.com.
Media Access: Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information, please email Erin Sagester at KHI at esagester@kevinharvickinc.com.