TALLADEGA, Ala. — Elliott Sadler got to treat his wife to whatever her heart desired with a $100,000 check in hand after winning last week’s Dash 4 Cash prize at Richmond Raceway.
With another giant check collected Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, Sadler, whose birthday is Monday, the veteran plans to spend a little on himself — and the rest on his kids — this time.
“It’s my birthday Monday so maybe I’ll keep a little for myself,” Sadler said Saturday. “All-in-all, thanks to Xfinity Dash 4 Cash for putting this on for us. … it’s neat to win $100,000 two weeks in a row.”
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So, how does a soon-to-be 43-year-old celebrate another year in the books with a little extra cash in his pocket?
“Well, we just got back from the Bahamas so that was a celebration in itself,” he said. “My son and daughter both have all-day travel-ball tournaments tomorrow. One in Raleigh, one in Richmond, and then Monday we have a ball game at the ballpark. So that’s how we celebrate our birthday; we go watch our kids play ball … and then maybe take a mid-afternoon nap because I am 43.”
In other words — the direct opposite of how Spencer Gallagher plans to “party like it’s 1999” after picking up his first career national series win in Saturday’s race.
Sadler did say, however, he might look into buying a new La-Z-Boy.
The JR Motorsports driver’s Dash 4 Cash hopes appeared to be just that — dashed — with 37 laps remaining in the ninth Xfinity Series race of the season when he got caught speeding on pit road. Needing to avoid hitting John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 Chevrolet, Sadler chose to hit the gas and miss making contact, incurring the penalty instead.
Pushing him far back in the pack, Sadler clawed his way back through the field over the ensuing laps, but still lined up just 17th for the NASCAR Overtime finish. Working with teammate Justin Allgaier, the current points leader maneuvered his way to a respectable top five and with it his second-consecutive $100,000 check.
Running second at the time, Austin Cindric appeared set to cruise to his first Dash 4 Cash win before a Daniel Hemric blown tire with nine scheduled laps to go put a damper on his day. The Team Penske driver wound up running out of fuel coming to the green on the ensuing restart and got saddled with a 30th-place finish. Fellow D4C competitors Christopher Bell (12th) and Matt Tifft (25th, flat right-front tire with 17 to go) didn’t fare much better in their quest for the prize.
The program wraps up next week at Dover International Speedway, where Sadler will be joined by Gallagher, race runner-up Brandon Jones and teammate Justin Allgaier (third).
Of the four, Sadler was the only driver to finish in the top 10 in that race last year, when he pulled in with a seventh-place result.