 |
| Sadler (2) crashed late in Phoenix |
Sadler
came to PIR tied with rival Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., in the championship standings,
but experienced problems almost immediately. He hit the wall on his qualifying
lap, forcing his Richard Childress Racing team to roll out a backup car and
start from the rear of the field.
Problems
replacing a left-rear tire on his first pit stop sent Sadler to the back of the
pack again. He marched methodically through the field, however, and appeared
capable of claiming a Top-10 finish on the track that ended his championship
dreams a year ago.
With
just two laps remaining, however, history repeated itself. Sadler tangled with
Cole Whitt and backed hard into the Turn Three wall, collecting teammate
Brendan Gaughan and severely damaging his One Main Financial Chevrolet .
While
Stenhouse finished third, Sadler limped home to a 22nd-place finish,
leaving him 20 points behind the defending series champion with just one race
remaining; Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead Miami Speedway.
"I
did it to myself," said a disconsolate Sadler afterward. "I put my
team in a hole qualifying like we did. I apologize for putting them in this
position."
Stenhouse,
meanwhile, grudgingly admitted that after a long season of back-and-forth
battling with Sadler, Austin Dillon and others, a second-consecutive ationwide
title could finally be within his grasp.
"It
would mean a lot to me to go back to back," said Stenhouse, who will make
his final start as a full-time Nationwide Series driver Saturday, before
replacing Matt Kenseth in the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing
Sprint Cup Series Ford next season.
He
can now clinch the championship with a finish of 16th or better, regardless of
how Sadler fares Saturday. If Stenhouse leads a lap Saturday, a finish of 17th
or better will suffice, and if he leads the most laps, an 18th-place
finish will do.
Photo: Getty Images
I got a pit in my stomach watching Saturdays events unfold. I couldn't believe, in the same place on the track. Elliot has always been a favorite of mine going back to his start in the Busch series.
ReplyDeleteThis was his year. Almost.
I wouldn't be surprised if some heavy equipment, found it's way on to PIR and demolished the track. Piloted of course by Sadler.
Psychologically, returning to Phoenix is going to be something he'll need to overcome. You don't forget losing a championship, let alone two.
Its not over, but Stenhouse always seems to overcome his problems and turn them into wins, or top 5-10 finishes. Its a tall order to be sure.