Bowyer subs for Sadler, finishes ninth

Illness sidelines Nationwide regular so Cup driver steps in

RELATED: Play NASCAR Fantasy Live | Sign up for RaceView today

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Clint Bowyer had plans to go shopping after the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, but instead he relieved an ill Elliott Sadler and finished ninth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series' O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge.

"Yeah, I was going to buy a pair of cowboy boots at the stockyards," Bowyer said of his previous plans for the day. "I didn't win a cowboy hat -- so I'm just out of luck."

But it was a good thing for Joe Gibbs Racing that Bowyer, a fellow Toyota driver, didn't make his trip to the Western stores and was available in a pinch. Sadler had been battling a stomach issue all day and JGR didn't have many other options since Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth were already participating in the race.

Sadler managed to start in the car in order to be eligible for points, but after a caution on Lap 7 he drove to pit road and made the switch. After Sadler got out of the car he sat slumped on the pit-road wall before being driven away on a golf cart.

But thanks to Bowyer's efforts, Sadler stayed within striking distance (20 points) of Regan Smith for second place in the Nationwide standings. Joe Gibbs stopped by after the race to shake Bowyer's hand and say thanks, and J.D. Gibbs also was there to give Bowyer a hearty pat on the back.

Bowyer appeared to have a shot to pick up the win for Sadler when he got as high as fourth place after moving up three spots during a pit stop on Lap 131 of 200. Unfortunately for him, though, the car began to get loose in the later stages of the race and he dropped as low as 11th before rebounding to get the top-10.

At one point, Bowyer commented over team communications on how his feet weren't quite hitting the pedals right, an understandable problem considering the car wasn't his and wasn't set up to fit his body.

"Nothing fit," Bowyer said. "I was having trouble; I'd killed it on pit road. There's just several things you know that are not your norm, so it kind of throws you out of sync."

But overall, Bowyer said he had fun and it was worth forgoing his plans to help out a friend.

"Well, you never want to get in, especially since Elliott has done a lot for me in my career and been a good friend over the years," Bowyer said. "I hate to see him sick like that. He was looking pretty rough."

There was no immediate word on whether Sadler would be ready for next week's race in Phoenix. He is finishing his tenure with JGR after announcing Friday that he would join Roush Fenway Racing in 2015 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

MORE: