RELATED: OneMain extends pact with JRM, Sadler

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — In the span of less than two months, NASCAR XFINITY Series points leader Elliott Sadler had a secure ride and sponsor, lost a secure ride and sponsor then gained a secure ride and sponsor, all with the same team … and sponsor.

Dizzy? Don’t blame you.

OneMain Financial had sponsored the NASCAR veteran for several years, following him from team to team, but informed Sadler and JR Motorsports earlier this summer that after an executive shakeup following a merger with Springleaf Holdings that they would be exiting the sport at the conclusion of the 2016 season.

The news was shocking, given their status as the longest-running XFINITY Series primary sponsor and Sadler being on pace for his most successful campaign since he started racing in the series full-time in 2011.

It was equally as stunning when JRM General Manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller announced a multiyear extension with OneMain and Sadler on Wednesday, a complete 180 from where things were headed.

“We were ecstatic when we found out that they had come back and had started talking to Kelley and Dale (Earnhardt Jr., JRM owner) to maybe further this relationship,” Sadler told NASCAR.com Friday at Road America, site of Saturday’s Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App). ” … This all came together really quick and really late, like just here in the past couple days. It’s neat how it’s all come together pretty fast.

” … I was proud when I found out that they were deciding to come back and they really wanted me to be their spokesperson and their head guy for racing. Man, I’m humbled by that. OneMain’s a great sponsor. I’ve been with them over a decade. All that put together, I’m humbled that they still want me to be a part of their brand and still be a part of their company. I think definitely it’s a no-brainer to be a part of JR Motorsports in this particular division.”

While Wednesday’s announcement was a welcome sight for the industry — nobody likes to see a sponsor leave the sport, let alone one with such a long-standing, visible relationship with a single driver — it was certainly an unprecedented head-scratcher.

What, exactly, had happened in the past month-plus to have OneMain change their minds?

“One thing I’ve learned, and the most important thing I’ve learned, is in a merger, there’s a lot going on, man,” Sadler said. “There’s only so many hours in a day and there’s only so many things that you can look at; charts and stats and information. I think once they got all the merger stuff straight and they could really take a good, deep look into the racing program, into NASCAR, into the demographics between their customers and NASCAR, I think they really started to kind of see that ‘Hey, this is maybe … this looks pretty good.’

“NASCAR is a pretty wide sport. I think they learned they had customers in California that were race fans, they had customers in Michigan and Pennsylvania and Texas and Florida and everywhere in between and it’s going to be, ‘Wow, maybe this is a direct correlation between the two. We might need to look at this.’ “

Being the points leader, a favorite in the first-ever XFINITY Series Chase and an employee of NASCAR’s most popular driver definitely wasn’t a hindrance, either.

RELATED: Series Chase Grid

“I think it doesn’t hurt the way we’re running. I think that’s a big part of it. It 100 percent doesn’t hurt to be associated with JR Motorsports and Junior Nation. Kelley and Dale and (JRM Brand Director & Communications) Mike Davis and their staff; what they do in digital consumption and stuff off the track … there’s no other team even close in the garage. I think once you throw all that together and seeing the response and the people you’re reaching is why the reconsideration was done and why they decided to stay here for a couple more years.”

Had this all not come together, however, Sadler indicated that in terms of a backup plan, he “never really messed with (looking at) other options.”

In fact, retirement was starting to creep into the 41-year-old’s thoughts, ever so slightly.

“I just kind of was looking at … ‘This might be it.’ I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to take away from what we were doing here. It’s the best chance I’ve had in a long time to make a great run to Homestead. We’re leading in the points and we’re running good and we’ve got a good string of finishes going and we’ve been fast every week. I didn’t want to … you can only control what you can control. I’ve been a part of the sport long enough that I didn’t want to go off and start fishing and doing other things and taking away from what my job is, and that’s showing up prepared every week. I’m not going to tell you that it hasn’t been hard. The last month and a half, I haven’t slept much, I’ll be honest with you. It’s been tough and priorities have been shifted some and wondering what’s going to happen.”

Sleep should come a bit easier now for the veteran, at least until the Chase starts at Kentucky later this year.

Gratitude does, as well.

” … For all of that to come together and be able to be the lucky one to stand here and talk to you about it … ” said Sadler, ” … it’s pretty humbling and I’m pretty thankful to have that opportunity.”