TAMING THE MONSTER MILE: Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team will head to Dover International Speedway this weekend for the second NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the Monster Mile this season. In May, the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team finished sixth in a caution-extended contest at the one-mile track. After a pit road penalty and an untimely red flag for rain, the No. 2 OneMain Financial team fought back for a top 10 in a wild overtime finish.
ONEMAIN FINANCIAL 200: The Nationwide Series race this weekend serves as a special event for the No. 2 team and KHI as OneMain Financial will be the title sponsor at Dover. Prior to the OneMain Financial 200, Sadler and KHI co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick will head to the organization’s headquarters in Baltimore, Md., to meet OneMain Financial employees. “As team owners, it’s exciting to see a sponsor like OneMain Financial activating and participating in NASCAR,” said KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick. “It shows how dedicated they are to the sport, which is great to be a part of. It’s fun that the race is in OneMain Financial’s backyard at Dover, and it should be a great weekend.”
CONCRETE RACING: Sadler is no stranger to competition at the Dover, Del., concrete track. The Emporia, Va., native has competed at the track seven times in the Nationwide Series with three top-10 finishes. Sadler has also competed at the one-mile concrete oval 24 times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a total of three top 10s, 188 laps led and a best finish of sixth in 2005. He also has a one start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010 where he sat on the outside pole in a KHI truck and ran in the top five for most of the day until tire failure relegated the team to a 24th-place finish.
KHI AT DOVER: KHI has made a total of 18 starts since 2005 at Dover. The organization has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth scored in 2010 by team co-owner Harvick and in 2006 by Ron Hornaday.
TO THE POINT: Sadler remains in the second position in the Nationwide Series Driver’s Point standings. With six events remaining on the schedule, Sadler sits 14 points out of the lead.
OPEN TRACK SESSION: Ticketholders for the OneMain Financial 200 will have the opportunity to attend a free open track session before the race on Oct. 1 at Dover and will have special access to the frontstretch. Sadler and KHI co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick will make an appearance at the event, and the session will run from 10-11:30 a.m.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 OneMain Financial team will unload chassis No. 064 for this weekend’s competition at Dover. This is the sixth time the No. 2 team has utilized this particular chassis, including a sixth-place finish when the Nationwide Series competed in the May event at Dover. The team also ran No. 064 at the March and August events at Bristol Motor Speedway (fourth and eighth), Nashville Superspeedway in April (13th) and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in July (16th).
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sadler drove the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish in the Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Sadler and the KHI team competed toward the front of the field for the entire race and brought home the team’s 20th top-10 finish of the season.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Elliott Sadler
How do you feel heading into this week’s race at Dover?
“Man, Dover is a big weekend for us, and it is definitely a big weekend for OneMain Financial. It is the first time OneMain Financial has been the entitlement sponsor of a NASCAR race, so it is exciting for everyone. We know that there will be a lot of customers and employees from different branches, so there are high expectations for us to go there and do well. We think we have a really good setup, and we will be bringing a brand-new car that we know will be fast. We definitely want to run well in our sponsor’s race, and it’s crunch time coming down to the championship, so our guys are as focused as ever. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to go out there and race under OneMain Financial’s banner for the Dover race.”
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.