WINDY CITY RACING: Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet will return to Chicagoland Speedway for the second time this season for the Saturday afternoon NASCAR Nationwide Series event. In the first appearance of the season at the track, the OneMain Financial team was in contention for the win and led 29 laps before right-front tire issues spoiled the night. Sadler finished 11th in the event.
SADLER IN JOLIET: Sadler has started four times in the Nationwide Series at the 1.5-mile track with a best finish of 11th earned earlier this season. The driver also has 10 starts at Chicagoland in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He earned a top-10 finish in 2003, crossing the finish line in the ninth position.
TEN FOR KHI: KHI has made 10 starts at Chicagoland, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this season. KHI, in its 10th year of competition this season, has yet to earn a victory at Chicagoland. The organization has one top-five and four top-10 finishes with KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick earning the best finish of seventh after starting from the pole in last season’s race at the track.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 OneMain Financial team will unload chassis No. 070 at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. This is the sixth time the No. 2 team utilized this particular chassis this season with a best finish of third at both Darlington Raceway in May and Iowa Speedway in August. The team also raced with this chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (12th), Chicagoland (11th) and Kentucky Speedway (fifth).
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet team earned a sixth-place finish under the lights last Friday night at Richmond International Raceway in the Nationwide Series event. The KHI team maintained a top-10 position for the entire race and scored their 19th top 10 of the season with the hometown driver from Emporia, Va., behind the wheel.
TO THE POINT: Sadler remains in the second position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver’s Point Standings. With seven events remaining on the schedule, Sadler sits 16 points out of the lead.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Elliott Sadler
How do you feel heading into this week’s race at Chicagoland?
“I am definitely looking forward to going back to Chicagoland. We had a great car there in the spring, and we were leading the race when we had a flat tire with about 15 laps to go, so that was heartbreaking. We are taking the exact same car back to Chicago, and it has been a pretty good track for me over the years. We have been good in the Cup Series there in the past, and we were great there in the spring with the Nationwide Series, so high expectations leading into this weekend. It will be a day race, which may be a little bit different, but we are excited to get back!”
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.