Elliott Sadler coasted home to a 25th-place finish at New Hampshire. Credit: Autostock

More of the same for frustrated Sadler at NHIS

LOUDON, N.H. -- Elliott Sadler was headed for his third top-10 finish in four weeks with a little more than a lap remaining in Sunday's Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Raceway.

He was headed for a silver lining during a weekend in which it was reported he may be headed for Evernham Motorsports, in which his team owner and son stayed in North Carolina to work on plans to improve their struggling race organization.

Lenox Industrial Tools 300 Official Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kyle Busch Chevy 2. Carl Edwards Ford 3. Greg Biffle Ford 4. Mark Martin Ford 5. Kevin Harvick Chevy 6. Denny Hamlin Chevy 7. Jeff Burton Chevy 8. Kasey Kahne Dodge 9. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 10. Scott Riggs Dodge • Complete results, click here • Official standings, click here Final lapsKyle Busch holds off the field in overtime Race Rewind - LoudonWatch a condensed version of the Lenox Industrial Tools 300! Lenox 300Watch all the highlights from New Hampshire Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Then came a caution, extending the race at least a couple of laps past the 300-lap limit.

Then came an accident -- Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon collided -- during the caution to extend the race a few more laps.

The eight additional laps ultimately spoiled crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr.'s gamble on fuel mileage.

Sadler ran out of gas on the green-white-checkered restart and fell from fourth to 25th, another disappointment in a season full of disappointments for the No. 38 Robert Yates Racing team.

"This pretty much puts in a nutshell how our season has been,'' Sadler said. "We just can't catch the right breaks or catch the right cautions. Tommy made a great call.

"What do you do? We've tried everything you could do this year to get top-10, top-five finishes, and it just doesn't work out. I'm frustrated.''

So is Baldwin. He admitted the season has been tough with all the distractions, from Dale Jarrett announcing he and sponsor UPS were leaving the No. 88 car for Michael Waltrip Racing to reports that Sadler will replace Jeremy Mayfield.

"When you're in this position you're not giving a hundred percent because you've got other things going on,'' Baldwin said. "It's very hard to stay focused and do what you've got to do.''

RYR has been in a defensive position since Jarrett announced he would leave in May. That was followed by the firing of general manager Eddie D'Hondt, leaving Robert and Doug Yates to take a more active role in rebuilding.

	M&M's will be on the No. 38 Ford next season. Will Elliott Sadler be in it? Credit: Autostock
	RELATED HEADLINES •   Sadler linked to Evernham if Mayfield leaves for Toyota •   RYR developmental driver to make Cup debut at Pocono •   Doug Yates addresses issues facing Robert Yates Racing

"The biggest problem with what's been going on the past two months, three months, is everybody has been so negative about Robert Yates Racing,'' Baldwin said. "We've proven the last three or four weeks we've got a good race team.''

Baldwin said he's not nearly as worried about the future of RYR as those outside the organization appear.

"Who's not going to sponsor the 88?'' he said. "Everyone is like, 'Yeah, they're going to lose UPS, they're going to lose Dale Jarrett.' So what? We've got a car that is guaranteed in the top 35 in points.

"With what we've got going on and the up-and-coming drivers we've got a sponsor would be crazy not to get their name on the car. M&M's [38 sponsor] is solid with Robert Yates Racing. Elliott will be making his decision probably in the next few weeks, and then we move on.''

Baldwin said Robert and Doug Yates were better served staying home to prepare for the future.

"The best thing they can do right now is stand back and supply us the stuff we need and let us do our job,'' he said. "Robert and Doug, they are smart people. As long as they can come up with the money to keep us going and supply us the things that we need, we'll be all right.''

Inside the Numbers Robert Yates Racing in 2006 (through 19 races)   Sadler Jarrett Wins 0 0 Top-5s 1 0 Top-10s 4 2 Poles 1 0 DNFs 2 2 Points 20 24

That doesn't mean Baldwin isn't anxious about whether Sadler will leave with two years left on his contract. He also doesn't plan to lose sleep over it.

"If he goes, he goes,'' Baldwin said. "If he doesn't, he doesn't. We've got to go race and represent Robert Yates Racing and represent M&M's and the other company that will be on the 88, and hopefully we'll get a third car to represent that company.''

Busch Series driver Stephen Leicht will make his Cup debut next weekend at Pocono, the first of several trial runs to see if he's ready to fill one of the RYR vacancies.

Ward Burton, who has been out of the sport for two years, also has had discussions about a return if he can line up a sponsor.

"We're not dead in the water,'' Baldwin said. "Robert Yates Racing has been around years and years. No one has given them the credit for that. Robert Yates is an awesome individual. He's worked his heart out for the sport, and he's not going away.''