DOVER, Del. (Oct. 3, 2011) - Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet finished 14th in the OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway after an inopportune caution put the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team one lap down.
Sadler kicked off the special OneMain Financial weekend by nabbing the team’s fourth pole award of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season. The OneMain Financial Chevrolet brought the field to green for the 200 laps of racing around the Monster Mile, and Sadler quickly grabbed the outright lead and began to pull away from the field.
The first caution of the day fell on lap six for debris, and crew chief Ernie Cope called for the No. 2 to remain on the track. The field returned to green on lap 10, but before Sadler could complete a full lap, he was shuffled out of the lead to the third position. By lap 24, the driver reported that the OneMain Financial Chevrolet needed more rear grip as he fell back to the seventh position.
NASCAR scheduled a competition caution on lap 40 after rain the night before washed most of the rubber off the track, and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet came down pit road on lap 43 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The quick stop by the crew gained the KHI team one spot and placed the No. 2 in sixth for the lap 48 restart.
As Sadler fought to hold his line, the No. 18 passed the No. 2 and provided an opening for the Nos. 6 and 16 to slide past. The No. 2 fell to the ninth position by lap 70.
The caution flag waved for a third time on lap 78 for debris, providing the No. 2 crew with the opportunity to tighten the OneMain Financial machine. Sadler brought the No. 2 in for service on lap 79 and the crew bolted on four tires, filled the Chevrolet with fuel, made an air-pressure adjustment and removed rubbers from the right rear.
Green-flag racing resumed on lap 84 with Sadler in the 13th position. The driver settled into the run and began to move forward in the field. By lap 98, Sadler passed the No. 31 for the ninth position and started to chase the No. 6 for the eighth position.
Sadler relayed to the crew that the No. 2 Chevrolet was becoming increasingly loose as he fell to the 11th position by lap 140. Lead-lap cars began to make green-flag pit stops by lap 157, and Cope called Sadler down pit road on lap 158 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help alleviate the handling issues.
As Sadler exited pit road, a caution was called as the No. 11 hit the safety barrels at the opening of pit road. The untimely caution put Sadler back in the 17th position and one lap down to the leaders for the final restart on lap 167.
Back under green, Sadler maneuvered his way forward to the 14th spot. The driver worked to be in position to regain lead-lap status, but the OneMain Financial Chevrolet continued to battle in the 14th until the checkered flag waved. In the Nationwide Series Driver’s Point standings, Sadler trails leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 22 points with five races remaining in the season.
The No. 2 OneMain Financial team will be back in action next Saturday at Kansas Speedway. Coverage begins live on MRN at 3 p.m. ET and ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Comments from driver Elliott Sadler:
“Today was a tough day for the OneMain Financial team. We’ve had some bad luck this year, and it hit again today. We had just pitted when the caution came out, putting us a lap down. Unfortunately, we couldn’t recover the lap. It’s been a great weekend to be a part of with OneMain Financial sponsoring the race. I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. I wish we could have brought home a win for everyone at OneMain Financial, but we have five races to go, and our team is still extremely focused on the championship. Thanks again to everyone who supported us this weekend.’”