Browse > Home /

NASCAR History: Car Number 38 and Elliott Sadler

User Avatar

by JamesJ, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

Sundays of my youth consisted of NASCAR racing and cold bottles of Mountain Dew. Thirty years later not much has changed for me. However, nearly everything has changed in NASCAR.

January 7, 2010 1:23 pm CST No Comments

Over the next several weeks we’ll be featuring car numbers in NASCAR history. We started with #50 and are working our way down the line. With each car number we’ll take a brief look at a couple stats related to the featured car number, but we’ll primarily spotlight either a driver, sponsor, car owner, manufacturer or other significant subject closely tied to the car number of the day.

Elliott Sadler car number 38 M&Ms sponsorMy son played a role in today’s selected subject. His choice of favorite driver is of no surprise considering he’s a eleven year old boy. What boy doesn’t think back flips are cool? I’ve been subjected to his glare of doubt and disappointment when I refused his request to exit our Honda Odyssey through the window and do the Carl Edwards flip myself. I’d likely make it just enough to land flat on my back, if I was lucky! My son didn’t care though. He stuck his thumbs in his armpits, began flapping his arms and taunting me with, “Bwak, bwak, bwak.”

Since Carl Edwards is in car number 99 and wouldn’t fall into this series, my son said I should do it on one of his first favorite NASCAR drivers and sponsor- Elliott Sadler and the M&M’s number 38.
NASCAR Driver Elliott Sadler

Stats for all cars running the #38:

  • Number of Races: 481
  • Number of Wins: 7
  • Number of Top 5s: 30
  • Number of Top 10s: 86
  • Number of Poles: 11

Check out current NASCAR race statistics here at On Pit Row!

Spotlight Subject: Driver Elliott Sadler

Elliott Sadler could just as easily have been a professional basketball player instead of a famous stock car driver. At one time he was being recruited by at least eighteen colleges to play sports. However, the possibility of a basketball career was removed after sustaining a knee injury while playing on a basketball scholarship at James Madison University. But this was`probably just as good considering his family’s involvement in local short tracking racing in Virginia. His father, uncle and brother were racing while a young Elliott watched from the sides with his toy diecast cars in hand. By the age of 7 Elliott was strapping into go-karts where he would go on to win over 200 races. By the time he was 18 years of age, he took home a track championship which put him in the spotlight enough to secure a Busch Series ride in 1997. By the end of the 1998 Busch Series he would have 5 wins and would start 1999 with a full time ride in Sprint Cup driving the #21 Citgo Ford for the famous Wood Brother team. But Sadler’s best runs in Cup competition would come during his tenure at Robert Yates Racing in the #38 M&M’s Ford. With 130 starts in the #38 car he would average a 19th place finish via 7 poles, 2 wins, 12 top fives, and 40 top tens.

Late in the 2006 season Sadler moved over to Evernham Motorsports where his overall stats have been rather disappointing. That said, the entire Evernham Motorsports organization had been a struggling the last few seasons. Sadler remains in the ride despite multiple team owner mergers (he now drives for Richard Petty Motorsports), poor performance on track, and even lawsuits to keep his seat. With over three years in his current ride, Sadler has 0 poles, 0 wins, 3 top fives, and only 17 top tens.

Thinking of the upcoming Daytona 500, Elliott has a reason to have a bit of a bounce in his step. In the last five Daytona 500 starts he has finished 11th, 4th, 6th, 6th, and 5th! In 2006, Elliott won the first Daytona 500 qualifying race giving him a 3rd place starting position in the Daytona 500 (which resulted in the 4th place finish). In 2007 he was running around the top five in the Bud Shootout at Daytona before being taken out in an accident and leaving him with a 15th place finish. In 2009, Elliott spun out during the Bud Shootout, but was able to keep the car from being damaged and went on to finish 5th in the Daytona 500. So Daytona has been good to Sadler.

If you’re playing fantasy racing, Elliott is certainly a driver who can get it done in the “Great American Race.” Restrictor-plate races are often a roll of the dice with so much of what happens out of the driver’s control. Daytona would be a perfect place to use Sadler in your lineup. Personally, I’d use him there not only because of his past record at Daytona, but also because I wonder if he will have a ride for the full 2010 season, so I’ll want to use him while I can.

Filed under: Daytona 500, Elliott Sadler, James Jones, NASCAR, NASCAR History 

Tagged with:

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Richard Petty Motorsports Further Solidifies 2010 Plans

User Avatar

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I do weekly Fantasy Pick'Em columns here at OPR, as well as the occasional opinion and analysis piece. I also provide the IZOD IndyCar Series coverage. For more on that, head to my site, OpenWheelAmerica.com. My Twitter handle is @christopherlion.

October 28, 2009 7:50 pm CDT No Comments

An Associated Press report published today suggests that Best Buy, Elliott Sadler’s sponsor on the No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports car for the past couple of years, will move to its teammate, the No. 43 car, which A.J. Allmendinger will drive for the 2010 season.

Best Buy began its relationship with Allmendinger this season at Darlington, when they sponsored his No. 44 car as he finished 17th. Allmendinger also finished 7th at Sonoma and 23rd two weeks ago at Charlotte with Best Buy on the hood.

Best Buy sponsored Sadler in 19 races this season, including the Sprint All-Star Challenge, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Sadler’s best finish this season was a 5th place in the Daytona 500.

The move is one of marginal elevation for the Richfield, MN-based company: Allmendinger sits one spot ahead of Sadler in points, although their records this season are virtually identical: 32 starts, no wins, a top-5 and four top-10s apiece.

The move leaves the No. 19 with one primary sponsor, Stanley Tools, which has covered 22 races over the course of this season (19 with Sadler and 3 with Allmendinger).

However, the move also strengthens Richard Petty Motorsports as a whole; instead of putting together a multi-million dollar sponsorship package for Allmendinger, they only need to patch holes for both Sadler and Allmendinger, a much easier task. RPM also has experience with this method, having utilized it all year with Allmendinger’s car and the No. 43 of Reed Sorenson.

Thus far, the biggest supporters of those two teams have been McDonald’s and Valvoline, with 10 races apiece. Hunt Brothers Pizza sponsored eight races for Allmendinger this season, with the last one this weekend at Talladega. Charter Communications covered seven races, but none since Phoenix in April. Super 8 Motels, the Air Force, and PVA.org have also sponsored RPM cars this year.

Ideally, RPM will fill its sponsorship gaps with the companies that have already appeared on its cars this year, giving them three fully sponsored and factory supported teams for next year. Pending the potential addition of Paul Menard and his family sponsorship, RPM could finally have a financially stable four-car team for the 2010 season.

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler, Richard Petty Motorsports 

Tagged with: , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Kasey Kahne Delivers a Win for The Kings

User Avatar

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

June 22, 2009 8:38 pm CDT No Comments

Kasey Kahne wasn’t much of a road racer until winning the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on Sunday; taking the King of Beers and the King of NASCAR to victory lane.

Other than sitting on the pole in 2008, Kahne had done little when faced with going left and right to think that he would be able to take Richard Petty Motorsports back to victory lane.  A journey that lasted ten years since John Andretti last won for The King.  Andretti’s win came during the Petty Enterprises years; before mergers and re-locations made the once dominant team a mere shadow of itself.

There is very little of the old Petty Enterprises remaining in the new team owned by George Gillett.  The win comes within days of Gillett announcing that he has sold his interest in the Montreal Canadians hockey team.  Rumors have been circulating since the race in Michigan that RPM may be within weeks of a huge downsizing.

Could Kasey Kahne soon be the only driver left from the four that started the season?  Elliott Sadler, AJ Allmendinger and Reed Sorenson could all be without a ride and Kahne could be in an un-supported Toyota soon.  Petty let the cat out of the bag before the race at Michigan that Chrysler had not been sending checks and the money to run four teams was running thin.

That brings us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

With all the recent and pending changes at Richard Petty Motorsports again; what does Kasey Kahne’s win do for the team?

Let us know what you think and we could use your comments on this week’s ON PIT ROW radio show.  Listen live every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET here.  Or call the show at 800-645-2946 and if your call is voted the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Call Of the Day you will win a Kevin Harvick bobble head.

photo credit: Robert LaBerge/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, Nascar Legends, Reed Sorenson 

Tagged with: , , , , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Gillett, Evernham and Petty–Is Anyone in Charge?

User Avatar

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

January 11, 2009 11:16 pm CST 4 Comments

What in the world is going on at Gillett Evernham/Petty Enterprises?

Sadler’s out–Sadler’s in.  Allmendinger will replace Sadler in the #19–or he’ll run a partial in the #10.  Luckily Dinger hasn’t signed a contract with GEM/P and he is still free to sign to drive someplace that may have a clue.  It certainly doesn’t look like the boys at GEM/P do.  Rumors abound that Sadler kept his job because the sponsors that have signed on to finance the #19 wanted him in the seat.

If that is what happened, why the hat dance in the first place?  Shouldn’t any discussion of who was going to drive that car be so far under wraps that no one outside of George Gillett and Ray Evernham had a clue?

It would see that that is the problem–no one at that organization has a clue.  Evernham seems to be the smartest of the bunch.  He has been setting himself up for an exit for some time.  However it doesn’t seem that Ray has left the company in very good hands.  The decisions coming from the once front liner for Dodge are circumspect at best.

When Evernham was given the reigns to bring Dodge back to NASCAR, I was excited at the prospect.  When Bill Elliott was named as the lead driver; as a Ford fan, I was devastated, but I still rooted for him and the Dodge team.  When Elliott “retired” and Kasey Kahne took over the #9 ride; I still followed with interest the success of that car and the team.    But with the bad decisions over the past three seasons you have to wonder if the decision to bring in a struggling Petty Enterprises is just another bad decision; much like the indecision to let Sadler go and then not.

Which leads us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

If you were a sponsor of one of the GEM/Petty cars; would you be worried about the companies ability to make proper decisions, given the Elliott Sadler mess?

Let us know what you think and we may use your thoughts on this weeks ON PIT ROW radio show.  Listen live Tuesdays from 5-7pm ET.

Photo Credit:  Icon Sports Media

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler, Evernham Motorsports, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio 

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Gillett-Evernham Restructures Again

User Avatar

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

December 29, 2008 7:56 am CST 7 Comments

Elliott Sadler and Ray Evernham are out at the former Gillett-Evernham Motorsports.

ESPN.com has reported that both Sadler and Evernham have severed ties with the team that Evernham built from the ground up when Chrysler Corporation re-entered NASCAR Cup racing.  Evernham was the face and brawn behind Chrysler’s return in 2001.  Now it appears that Ray has taken his car owner’s trophy that Bill Elliott won for him at the Brickyard 400, and cleared out his office.

After selling majority ownership to George Gillett, Evernham has been less and less involved in the running of the team that bore his name.  Things were so bad at one point that his drivers, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler called for more of a presence of Evernham at the race track to try and right the listing ship.

Not only has Evernham cleared out his desk; but Sadler has been given the boot as well.  Sadler has never lived up to his perceived potential after making the move from Yates Racing to replace Jeremy Mayfield.  AJ Allmendinger will drive the #19 in 2009.  Dinger had been slated to run the #10 next year, but it appears that funding for that ride may not be materializing.  So Sadler could take his higher salary to one of the few remaining open seats in the Cup Series.  The #41 is still open at Earnhardt-Ganassi and there are further rumors that the #77 at Penske may open up.  Helio Castroneves‘ IRL ride may be open if he can’t thwart pending jail time for tax issues; with Sam Hornish, Jr. returning to the open wheel ranks.

This all leads us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Will the “Back to Basics” credo of Brian France from 2008 eventually result in NASCAR teams returning to a more traditional driver and ownership model?

Let us know what you think and we could use your comments on a future edition of ON PIT ROW, the radio show.  Listen live Tuesdays from 5-7pm ET at www.onpitrow.com

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Chase for the Cup, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Evernham Motorsports, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Indy Cars, Jeremy Mayfield, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, Nascar Legends, Sam Hornish Jr 

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Coke Zero Taste of Victory Video

User Avatar

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

July 4, 2008 8:53 am CDT No Comments

Filed under: Bench Racing TV, Bobby Labonte, Daytona International Speedway, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR video, The Pettys, Tony Stewart 

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

« Previous Articles

March Madness

Play the Rattles from the Catch Can contest

Blogroll

Fantasy Sports Partners

Racing Websites

ON PIT ROW at RaceTalkRadio
Backstretch Boys: 30% Off New CD!
Jayski's: See what the buzz is about.

We've got your game.

Advertisement