CHARLOTTE (Oct. 15, 2011) - Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet team earned a fourth-place finish Friday night under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The top-five finish also earned the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team $100,000 as part of the final segment of the Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash promotion.
The No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet came to the green Friday evening in the 12th position and moved into 11th by the time the 10th lap ticked away.
The first caution of the night came out on lap 25 for oil on the track, and Sadler relayed to the team that he needed more right-rear grip on exit. Crew chief Ernie Cope called Sadler down pit road on lap 27 for right-side tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The quick stop put the No. 2 back on the track in the third position to restart on lap 30.
On the restart, Sadler positioned himself in second and battled with the No. 6 for the lead, but fell to the third position by lap 40. The field was slowed for the second caution for debris in turn two, and the No. 2 team decided to remain on the track.
Returning to green-flag racing, the No. 2 went three-wide, fighting for position with the No. 6, and by lap 47 he moved into the second position. Sadler was able to hold off small runs from cars behind him, but on lap 58, KHI teammate Paul Menard passed Sadler to push the No. 2 to the third position.
Another yellow flag dropped on lap 69 for debris on the backstretch, and Sadler drove the No. 2 down pit road for four tires and fuel on lap 71. The field went back to green on lap 74 with Sadler in the seventh position.
Sadler raced door-to-door with the No. 16 car of Trevor Bayne to maintain the seventh position and relayed that the No. 2 was much looser on this run. The Nos. 6 and No. 60 took advantage of the loose-handling OneMain Financial machine and passed the No. 2 on lap 109.
Sadler was able to regain momentum as he passed the No. 16 for the seventh position. He continued to move up in the field as the fastest car on the track by lap 127. Running in seventh, a caution for the No. 99 in the wall came out on lap 127. The OneMain Financial Chevrolet came down pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
On the restart, the No. 2 quickly moved to fifth. In a 10-lap battle with the No. 60, the two cars fought for the fifth position, but the No. 60 finally slid past the No. 2 on lap 151.
The caution lights flashed for a spin involving the No. 22 on lap 171. Cope called Sadler down pit road for right-side tires and fuel only, positioning Sadler second to restart the race. Coming to green, the No. 2 restarted on the front row beside the No. 6, and battled to the lead on lap 178 for one lap. The No. 18 car, on four tires, maneuvered into the lead on the next lap.
A caution for debris in turn four came out on lap 186, and Sadler told the crew that the No. 2 was just a little tight. The field quickly resumed green-flag racing on lap 189, and Sadler fell back from third to fifth on the restart. The No. 20 got into the wall on lap 193, bringing out the yellow flag for the final caution period of the night.
For the final laps, the field came to the green flag on lap 196 with Sadler restarting in the fourth position. Outside on the restart, Sadler fought with Bayne for the third position, but quickly fell in line in the fourth spot, where he would take the checkered flag. As the highest finisher of the Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash contenders, Sadler earned $100,000. The team also gained five points in the Driver’s Point standings, now 15 points behind the leader with three races remaining on the schedule.
After two weekends off, the No. 2 OneMain Financial team will return to action at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5. Coverage will begin at 12:55 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and 12:30 p.m. ET on PRN.
Comments from driver Elliott Sadler:
“I am so proud of our team this week. These guys turned around this race car from Kansas last week, and they have worked their tails off to get the car ready for this weekend. Tonight, I’m proud of everyone on the team for great pit stops and adjustments. It means a lot to me to run as well as we did tonight with this pink race car, and it means a lot to my mom as a breast cancer survivor. It was a great day for us to earn five points in the Driver’s Point standings to only be 15 points out of the lead. We competed competitively in the top five for the entire race, and it feels pretty good to win $100,000. Thanks to Nationwide Insurance for this great program, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be the winner of the final portion of the Dash 4 Cash program.”