Elliott Sadler finished 13th in the final point standings. Credit: Autostock

YIR: Elliott Sadler

Promising start spiraled into season of frustration, disappointment

This was supposed to be the year Elliott Sadler took the next step, the leap from the second tier to join the established Nextel Cup elite, to vie for wins on a weekly basis and, ultimately, contend for a championship.

For a time he was right on schedule.

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Sixteen races into the 2005 season, Sadler was third in the championship standings on the strength of nine top-10 finishes. But late-season personnel differences within the No. 38 team, combined with a hefty dose of sour luck, resulted in a 13th-place points finish.

"Tough season," Sadler said following a 23rd-place finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "I'm proud of the way my guys fight every race, they never give up.

"We struggled a lot there at the end. But, my guys stuck together ... never hung their heads."

And as the year progressed, there was plenty of opportunity to lose motivation.

Sadler earned the first of four Bud Poles in the season's fifth event at Bristol Motor Speedway, his self-proclaimed favorite racetrack. He would go on to post a season-best second-place finish that weekend in the Food City 500.

Though difficult to believe, he would finish no better than sixth the rest of the way, a disappointing outcome to a season that began in breakout fashion.

Elliott Sadler had only one top five in '05. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Elliott Sadler in 2005 Race Start Finish Daytona 500 39 11 Auto Club 500 41 8 UAW-DaimChrys 400 2 29 Golden Corral 500 11 10 Food City 500 1 2 Advance 500 25 9 Sam./R.Shack 500 8 28 Subway Fresh 500 33 11 Aaron's 499 3 6 Dodge Charger 500 4 20 Chevy 400 5 7 Coca-Cola 600 10 13 RacePoints 400 3 10 Pocono 500 25 21 Batman Begins 400 18 8 Dodge/S. Mart 350 42 6 Pepsi 400 6 21 USG Sheetrock 400 23 37 New England 300 3 39 Pennsylvania 500 39 16 Allstate 400 1 32 Sirius at the Glen 12 12 GFS Marketplace 400 8 39 Sharpie 500 9 13 Sony HD 500 15 17 Chevy 400 19 17 Sylvania 300 6 30 RacePoints 400 22 6 UAW-Ford 500 1 34 Banquet 400 2 12 UAW-GM Quality 500 1 27 Subway 500 9 29 Bass Pro Shops 500 3 10 Dickies 500 12 9 Checker 500 24 11 Ford 400 23 23 Averages 14.1 17.6

Without a win, the season's highlight was undoubtedly the Allstate 400 pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His words later that day were quite telling of the team's frustration.

"Being on the pole at the Brickyard is one step closer to a dream," Sadler said. "I think it's pretty neat to be able to hand the pole trophy over to Robert Yates, to be able to sit on the pole here and really want to kiss the bricks.

"That was our mindset when we decided to come here this week. After our test session we're not talking about points, we're really not worried about the Chase tomorrow. We want to kiss those bricks and whatever we've got to do to try to make that happen is what Todd [Parrott, crew chief] and I are gonna do.

"We've had a rough July. I'm glad July is over with. It seems like as soon as August came in we're right back where we need to be. We've got a tough six weeks left. We know that.

"We've got some good tracks coming up for us and some tracks that maybe we've struggled at before, but to come here and be this fast and have this much confidence is great for me as a driver.

"I've been as down as you can get after Loudon and this is good for me, it's good for Todd, it's good for the team to kind of come out here and set the pace with a great run and we really think we've got a great car for tomorrow, too."

Despite leading 39 laps in the Brickyard 400, a flat tire with 10-to-go resulted in a 32nd-place finish, dropping Sadler from the top 10 in the championship standings for the first time since March.

He would never re-enter the fold.

Failing to qualify for the Chase with either of his teams, Robert Yates opted to reunite Parrott and driver Dale Jarrett, and promote engineer Kevin Buskirk to crew chief of the No. 38.

Sadler would earn two more poles, one at Talladega and one at Charlotte, where he scorched the track record at faster than 193 mph before leading a race-high 112 laps in the UAW-GM Quality 500. Ultimately, though, bad luck would once again limit the No. 38 team to a disappointing finish.

"It was the best car I've ever driven in my Nextel Cup Series career," he said.

It was his year in a nutshell.

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"We've got a championship-caliber team," Sadler said. "We'll just come back next year and prove that to everybody, so we'll be OK."

There is plenty for Sadler to look forward to in 2006. He signed a new three-year contract agreement with RYR and M&Ms in 2005, and will enter the first year of that deal with veteran crew chief Tommy Baldwin atop the No. 38 pit box.

"There is potential for great success next season at RYR," Baldwin said. "Robert has built a strong foundation here and it's exciting to be able to step in and work with Elliott and the 38 team.

"I think we've only seen the beginning of what Elliott can accomplish behind the wheel and I look forward to the task of leading this team to the next level."

Baldwin's arrival means Buskirk will become RYR Technical and Performance Director.