In the end, Elliott Sadler (38) could not hold off the charge of Mark Martin on Saturday night. Credit: Autostock

Sadler disappointed as runner-up in Challenge

CONCORD, N.C. -- "$1 million."

That was the answer that crew chief Todd Parrott gave for taking two tires on the final pit stop of Saturday night's Nextel All-Star Challenge, and it was worth the gamble at the time.

Unfortunately, two tires could not be beat four, and after a bump with Mark Martin on the final restart, Sadler ran second to Mark Martin in the dash for cash.

	Elliott Sadler
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Martin didn't just drive away on the final restart. He and Sadler made contact as the field came down to the green, sending Sadler darting to the inside. Martin, on the outside, got away cleaner than Sadler did, and that was the story of the race, as far as Sadler was concerned.

"We had an awesome race car," Sadler said. "I'm not sure what happened on the restart, if I came up or Mark came down, but I think I knocked my front fender in and I was a little tight from there on.

"It wasn't the two tires that beat us."

Sadler had finished second in the first two segments, and knew he had to get to the outside going into Turn 1 to have a chance to move up a spot in the third. "You don't want to be on the bottom in [Turns] 1 and 2, because you'll either wreck or slow down a lot," Sadler said.

Sadler said there was no question that the final stop would be for two tires. The question would be if Parrott and his crew would add fuel or not.

"We watched the Open, and we knew long before we strapped in that we were going to take two tires and the track position," he said. "The only question we had was whether or not we were going to add fuel, depending on if the car was loose or tight.

"I'm very disappointed. I think we had the class of the field [Saturday night] and my guys worked their butts off. That's the best motor I've ever had in Nextel Cup racing. To come out of here second, I think everybody knew we were here and we're going to have something for them when we come back for the 600."

Despite the fact that he failed to bring the big money back to Robert Yates Racing's shops in Mooresville, N.C., Sadler figured that the knowledge gained by gambling will pay off a week from now.

"We'll keep that in the back of out notes for next week [the 600]," Sadler said. "We just wanted to see what it would do. I know track position is very important here.

"I enjoyed racing Mark. That was a cool paint scheme he had. We raced each other hard, and I knew he wanted to win in this last All-Star race, and I wanted to get my first. It was just two guys racing as hard as we can."

Sadler, despite finishing second in all three segments, still left the speedway feeling he hadn't done all he could.

"My guys brought me an awesome race car," he said. "I can't ask for anything better. They gave me the tools to win with. I just let them down."

Sadler said exactly that as he slowed down after the checkered, and Parrott wasn't having any of it.

"You didn't let anybody down, bud," he said in return. "You did an awesome job."