NORTH CAROLINA RACING: Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team will head to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for the second NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the Concord, N.C., track this season. In the May event at Charlotte, the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team finished 10th after they battled an ill-handling car throughout the 200-lap event.
THINK PINK: The No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet will carry a special paint scheme this week at Charlotte. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, pink will be added to the KHI Chevrolet. The cause is near to Sadler’s heart as his mother Bell was diagnosed in 2007. “It means a lot to me to run a paint scheme in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month,” said Sadler. “It symbolizes a cause which is important to a lot of us, and I’m thrilled to have the support of OneMain Financial to run this pink No. 2 in Charlotte. My mom is a survivor and doing well now, and the pink car is her favorite, so I’m excited to run it this weekend. ”
CHARLOTTE REGULAR: Sadler knows his way around the 1.5-mile track. He has nine Nationwide Series starts at Charlotte with two top-10 and one top-five finish and a best finish of second in 2005. Sadler also has 25 Sprint Cup Series starts with one pole award, one top five, three top 10s and 192 laps led. In 2010, Sadler piloted a KHI truck for his Camping World Truck Series debut at the track with a fifth-place finish.
KHI AT CHARLOTTE: KHI has made 20 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway since 2004, with a total of seven top-10 and one top-five finish. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart collected the organization’s highest finish of fifth in 2004.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 OneMain Financial team will unload chassis No. 070 this weekend at Charlotte. This is the ninth time this season the No. 2 team will compete with this particular chassis. The team has earned five top-five finishes with No. 070 thus far this season with a best finish of third at Darlington Raceway in May, Iowa Speedway in August and Kansas Speedway last weekend.
DASH-ING 4 CASH: Sadler is one of four drivers eligible for a chance to win $100,000 at Charlotte in the fourth of four Dash 4 Cash segments. The highest-finishing driver of the four this weekend will win the monetary prize from Nationwide Insurance. Sadler also competed in the Daytona International Speedway and Richmond International Raceway segments of the event.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet headed to Kansas Speedway last week for a Saturday afternoon showdown. Sadler started from the 12th position and worked his way toward the front of the field, where he would compete for most of the day. The OneMain Financial team battled to a third-place finish at the 1.5-mile track, scoring the team’s 11th top-five finish of the season.
TO THE POINT: With a solid finish at Kansas, Sadler picked up two points in the battle for the Nationwide Series Driver’s championship. Sadler currently sits 20 points behind the leader with four races left on the schedule.
MEET ELLIOTT SADLER: Fans will have the opportunity to meet Sadler at the OneMain Financial Branch at 2302 South Cannon Blvd., Kannapolis, N.C., on Oct. 12. From 3-4 p.m. Sadler will meet with fans, sign autographs and take photos.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Elliott Sadler
How do you feel heading into this week’s race at Charlotte?
“I’m really looking forward to Charlotte. It’s always fun to race there with so many friends and family coming out since it is so close in locale to most race teams. This is definitely a track that I feel comfortable at because I feel like it really fits my driving style well. With OneMain Financial’s blessing, we have the opportunity to run a pink paint scheme to celebrate National Breast Cancer Awareness, which is a cause that is near to my heart. We only have four races left on the schedule, so things are heating up on the track, but I’m as confident as ever in this team.”
MOST POPULAR DRIVER: Sadler is eligible for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver award. Fans can vote for Sadler now through November 17 on www.NASCARNationwideSeries.com.
Media Access:Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information, please email Erin Sagester at KHI at esagester@kevinharvickinc.com.