Credit: Autostock

Sadler vying for one of few Chase spots

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Elliott Sadler needs something good to happen on the racetrack Sunday.

Heading into the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway, Sadler is 12th in the standings, trailing 10th-place Jeff Gordon by 34 points for the final spot in NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.

Looking at the standings, and his results of late, makes Sadler wish things were more like they were in last year's trip to the Southern California track.

"That was a real good situation," the driver of the No. 38 Robert Yates Racing Ford said. "Wish we were in that same position today."

Sadler arrived here last August a solid seventh in the standings, then solidified his spot in the inaugural Chase with a victory on the 2-mile oval.

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The situation is very different now. Sadler has slumped at just the wrong time, slipping from third place in the standings at the end of June. After finishing sixth in Sonoma on June 26, Sadler was just 177 points behind then-series leader Greg Biffle. Now, he's 645 behind pacesetter Tony Stewart.

For Sadler, who has not won since last year's race, a victory Sunday would be good medicine.

"My emotions are really good," he said. "We're very happy with the way we've been running.

"We have just decided that, you know what, we can't do anything about the luck and the problems we've had in three or four of the last races. We just feel like anything bad that can happen to us can happen, but we're running good when that happens."

He is very aware of being locked in a battle for a spot in the Chase with all the drivers from eighth in the points to teammate Dale Jarrett, who is 14th, 44 points behind Sadler. Carl Edwards, eighth in the standings is 128 points ahead of Jarrett.

Between them are Ryan Newman, Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray and Sadler.

Jarrett, who hasn't won since the second race of the 2003 season, also has fallen out of the top 10 in recent weeks. The performance last Saturday night in Bristol was particularly devastating for the 1999 series champion.

After being bumped by Newman in an apparent accident, Jarrett, usually a cool-headed veteran -- appeared to retaliate and was penalized two laps by NASCAR. He finished 31st, slipping almost out of the championship picture.

Jarrett has been mum on that subject this week, keeping his focus on the upcoming race.

"California is one of the tracks where we ran decent this year," said Jarrett, who finished 11th in February. "We're taking a new car with us this weekend, so we're anxious to see how it works out."

Sadler can understand the response by his teammate and mentor at Bristol.

"I think Dale is just upset that we're all trying to race to get into the Chase and he's not going to take it anymore, and I'm not either," Sadler said. "We've had a couple of guys run over us this year and we're going to stand our ground and we're not going to take it anymore."

Sadler noted that some drivers "run over you each and every week and then just get on TV with a little smile and say they're sorry and act like everything is OK. That doesn't stand anymore.

"We're tired of being the nice guys and try to race clean. We race for a very clean owner who wants to do things the right way. Dale is a great gentleman and a champion in this sport, and probably has more integrity than anybody else in the sport, but you can't let all these guys run over you. You've got to defend yourself."