DOVER, Del. (May 15, 2010) — In his second race for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) and his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Elliott Sadler clearly exhibited that the No. 2 Best Buy/Insignia Chevrolet Silverado was a top-five machine, but a tire failure on lap 173 led to a hard hit into the turn two wall, relegating the team to a 24th-place finish.
“That was really a hard lick,” said Sadler after emerging from the destroyed No. 2 Chevrolet. “The truck was the best it had been all night, and then it just shot up the track and into the wall. It didn’t give me any warning. I hate it because we were running so quick, and the truck was really coming to me. Butch [Hylton] gave me a really fast truck, and he just kept adjusting on it all day and making it better. I have to thank the No. 2 team for all their hard work and great pit stops, I wish we could have finished as good as we were running.”
After putting the No. 2 Best Buy/Insignia Silverado on the outside pole with a qualifying lap of 23.161 seconds, (155.434 mph) Sadler was able to maintain his position through the first caution of the race on lap six. Passed by the No. 33 of KHI teammate Ron Hornaday on the lap nine restart, Sadler continued to run in the third position until the third caution of the day on lap 54. The driver of the No. 2 stated that he was happy with the “very drivable” truck, but that he’d like to be able to turn more freely. Sadler brought the Best Buy/Insignia Chevrolet down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment, before restarting the race in the third position.
The truck continued to improve as the laps ticked by, and after a lightning-fast pit stop under caution on lap 87, the team was able to change four tires and gain a position while many teams only opted for two tires. Once again, Sadler hovered in the top three, but when a caution came out on lap 115, crew chief Butch Hylton called Sadler to the pits. While many of the leaders chose to stay out, the No. 2 team opted for four fresh tires in hopes of continuing to improve the handling of the Best Buy/Insignia Chevrolet. Having sacrificed track position, Sadler restarted in the 14th position, but earned his positions back by lap 127.
Hylton instructed Sadler to begin saving fuel, calculating that the team could make it to the end of the race if they had to employ a fuel strategy. With the truck improving with every lap, Sadler overtook the second position on lap 167, setting his sights on the leader. As his lap times continued to improve, Sadler was reeling in the leader and had both fuel mileage and handling on his side, stating that the truck was the best it had been all day.
Suddenly, Sadler’s right-front tire blew and the No. 2 Best Buy/Insignia Chevrolet shot up the 25-degree banking, slamming into the wall. Stunned by the hard hit, Sadler stated that he was okay, but that the truck was finished. Retiring to the garage with 27 laps remaining, the No. 2 was scored in the 24th position.
Aric Almirola took the checkered flag at the conclusion of the Dover 200 for his first career Truck Series win, with James Buescher, Justin Lofton, Ricky Carmichael and Todd Bodine rounding out the top five. KHI teammate Ron Hornaday also experienced a disappointing end to his race, finishing 12th after a fuel pick up problem caused his truck to falter on the final restart. The No. 2 team dropped two positions in the Owner’s Point standings, now sitting third, 25 points out of first place.
The Truck Series hits the track again on Friday, May 21 for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race can be seen live on SPEED at 7:30 p.m. EST.
STATS RECAP
Race Info
May 14, 2010
Dover (Del.) International Speedway
Race: 6 of 25
Driver: Elliott Sadler
Started: 2nd
Finished: 24th
Owner Point Standings: 3rd
Race length: 200 Laps/200 Miles
Track layout: 1.0-mile
Shape: Concrete Oval
Next on the Truck Series Schedule:
Date: May 21, 2010
Track: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
Event Name: North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Broadcast Time: SPEED 7:30 p.m. ET