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 "Luck was on our side. This is the first Daytona 500 that I've ever finished that I have not been in a wreck. So it's pretty cool" |
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Elliott Sadler
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By Denise N. Maloof, CNNSI.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It wasn't quite worst-to-first, but Elliott Sadler's drive in the 44th Daytona 500 felt worthy of a Victory Lane bash.
"I know it's not a win, but it's just like a win to us," said Sadler, who started 41st and finished second. "To start that far back and to struggle like we have all week, to finish second -- I can't think of a better way to start a season off."
There isn't, aside from usurping winner Wade Burton, and Sadler had his shot at that on the last three laps. With the race red-flagged following the day's ninth caution, Sadler sat third behind Burton and leader Sterling Marlin. Then he caught the last of his breaks: NASCAR ordered Marlin to the back of the field on the re-start because Marlin had climbed out to examine right-rear damage during the red-flag period. The judgment moved Sadler onto Burton's bumper, which he rode to the checkered flag.
"No," he said of whether he could have caught Burton. "And I knew that. I was really more scared of the 88 [Dale Jarrett] and the guys behind him. I knew they were trying to get around."
Perhaps no one got around Sunday as well as Sadler. Invisible in the early going, he began creeping up, sitting 17th by lap 50. On lap 100, he had improved by only one position, but by lap 150, he was fourth. He slipped back with 20 laps remaining, battling Rusty Wallace for sixth before rebounding. And he readily acknowledged luck, dodging others' spins, plus the pileup on lap 150 that claimed 18 cars.
"Pit stops were unbelievable," Sadler said. "That's why we finished second. We had great, great pit stops. It kept us in front of the wrecks and that made a big difference."
Everybody worked so hard," crew chief Pat Tryson said. "We struggled all week long, and just kept working on it and kept working on it. Kept changing stuff and kept changing stuff and we finally got it pretty close. He was pretty happy with it and [Sunday] he did an awesome job coming up through there."
"Luck was on our side," Sadler said. "This is the first Daytona 500 that I've ever finished that I have not been in a wreck. So it's pretty cool."
