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Breaking through Sadler takes first Cup victory lap in Food City 500
By Stephen Thomas, CNNSI.com BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The Wood Brothers. The Pettys. They are, simply, NASCAR's gold standard. They are the names by which any and every other Winston Cup driver or team has been or will continue to be measured. Throw in Penske and you have yourself a veritable trifecta of motor sports royalty. That Sunday's Food City 500 came down to a final-laps sprint that matched Elliott Sadler (driver of the Wood Brothers No. 21) against John Andretti (driver of The King's glorious No. 43) and Jeremy Mayfield (Penske's charge at the wheel of the No. 12) was enough to rekindle memories of the good old days. And as Sadler put some distance on Andretti in the last few laps and virtually guaranteed the Wood Brothers their first win in eight years and just their third in 13, a storybook ending to a typically exciting race at Bristol was at hand. In winning his first race in 75 career starts, Sadler becomes the third first-time winner of the 2001 season and the fourth in the last seven races. Andretti finished a well-deserved (he led 51 laps) and hard-earned second. Mayfield was third. Sadler started the race 38th. His win marked the farthest back a driver has come to win a race at Bristol. The late Dale Earnhardt started 26th when he won the high-banked track's August race in 1999. Andretti's finish was the best for a Dodge in its return to Winston Cup racing after a 17-year absence. A postrace inspection showed his car did not meet the minimum height requirement, but NASCAR did not immediately announce a penalty. Amazingly, Sadler's win gives the Wood Brothers, owners of 96 NASCAR wins entering Sunday's race by drivers with names like Yarborough and Pearson, their first win at Bristol Motor Speedway and their first short-track win since 1986. Immediately after the race, the 25-year-old Sadler credited his win to his crew chief, Pat Tryson, and his gamble to stay out on the track when the race leaders pitted on lap 422 and took on new tires.
Sadler's unlikely victory was all the amazing given the tire situation. Ordinarily, teams will attempt to go about 50 to 60 laps on a set at Bristol. But Sunday, many teams gambled on the new compound issued by Goodyear this year; and none gambled more than the No. 21 team. "We had those tires on from [lap] 338 to the end," Sadler said. "Since the last time we came down pit road." Sadler's gamble underscores the fact that Bristol is a track that rewards those who are both lucky and good. Rookie phenom Kevin Harvick's day proves just how important the first of those ingredients. Had Harvick not punctured his left-front tire with 70 laps to go, he might have put the finishing touches on an epic that would have iced his reputation as much more than The Intimidator's heir apparent. As it was, it dropped him from an improbable first all the way to a forgotten 23rd. Having dominated the first 70 laps of the race, Harvick was relegated to 38th after being forced to re-pit to adjust some sheet metal that was rubbing a tire. But by lap 282, Harvick had wormed his way to 11th; at lap 350, he was ninth. When the 10th caution of the day came out on lap 371 -- there were 13 for a total of 87 laps -- Harvick assumed the lead again, primarily because his crew was also gambling that they had good enough tires to go until the end. Sixty laps later, with Sadler running second, Harvick's tire punctured, presenting Sadler with his chance to lead at least one lap. As it was, knowing that he was on old tires, he had no intention of jeopardizing a sure top-10 finish by bravely attempting to hold off competitors on fresher tires.
"I thought when those guys came, I'd let them go," he said. "I was surprised as y'all were that we were able to hold 'em off."
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