Daytona Beach, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2010) — Coming off a win in Saturday afternoon’s Nationwide Series season opener with Tony Stewart, and a strong third-place finish by Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) co-owner Kevin Harvick, it’s fair to say that expectations were high for KHI’s No. 2 Truck Series team heading into the first race of the season at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with Cup Series veteran Elliott Sadler behind the wheel.
Sadler, who nearly captured his first Daytona 500 win in 2009, started Saturday night’s 100-lap race from the second position with KHI teammate Ron Hornaday close behind in fifth. Before the pack could complete the first lap, a multi-truck wreck collected nine competitors, as the No. 2 slid into the lead.
Going back green on lap eight, Sadler paced the field with drafting help from Hornaday in second position. The KHI teammates would ride one-two for the next 11 laps until the second caution of the evening waved.
Leading the field down pit road for the night’s first round of pit stops, the No. 2 team had a flawless stop, returning Sadler to the head of the pack. The field returned to green-flag racing on lap 24 with the No. 2 truck leading the way. However by lap 30, Sadler was shuffled out of the lead falling to the eighth position.
Just two laps later, Sadler found himself in the middle of a multi-truck wreck with nowhere to go. The No. 2 truck sustained right-front and rear-end damage. Sadler brought the battered machine directly to the garage to the attention of his team.
“I’m not even sure what happened,” said a dejected Sadler. “We were all nose to tail, and I saw them get crossed up in front of me and then the hole just closed up. I had nowhere to go. It’s a shame because we had a fast truck and that’s all I can ask for.”
Making swift repairs, the No. 2 team was able to get back on the track, logging laps and collecting valuable championship points.
Sadler crossed the finish line in the 20th position, 15 laps down to the race leaders. Timothy Peters scored his second career Truck Series win followed by Todd Bodine, Denis Setzer, Jason White and Matt Crafton.
STATS RECAP
Race Info
February 13, 2010
Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Race: 1 of 25
Driver: Elliott Sadler
Started: 2nd
Finished: 20th
Laps Led: 25
Race length: 100 Laps/ 250 Miles
Track layout: 2.5-mile
Shape: Tri-oval
Next on the Truck Series Schedule:
Date: March 6, 2010
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Event Name: Atlanta 200
Broadcast Time: SPEED 1:30 p.m., EST