Sadler has grandiose plans

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 25: Elliott Sadler, driver of the #55 RK Motors Collector Car Auctions Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 Powered by Kroger at Martinsville Speedway on October 25, 2013 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 25:  Elliott Sadler, driver of the #55 RK Motors Collector Car Auctions Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 Powered by Kroger at Martinsville Speedway on October 25, 2013 in Martinsville, Virginia.  (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
MARTINSVILLE, VA – OCTOBER 25: Elliott Sadler, driver of the #55 RK Motors Collector Car Auctions Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Powered by Kroger at Martinsville Speedway on October 25, 2013 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

MARTINSVILLE, Va.— In his first start in a substitute role for ailing Brian Vickers,  Elliott Sadler hopes to achieve more than a respectable finish—a lot more.

“I don’t know what you guys think is realistic or not, but we’re here to win a damn race,” Sadler told reporters Friday at Martinsville Speedway.

With Vickers sidelined for the rest of the season by a recently discovered blood clot in his leg, Sadler will drive the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota in his stead. Needless to say, Sadler’s sights are set high, for Martinsville as well as the races that follow.

“To sit here and tell you that I just want to go be competitive and not do much is a lie,” Sadler said. “I want to come out here and try to qualify good each week and run good each week and put ourselves in position to be there at the end of the race.

“I’m a competitor, no matter what I play and no matter what I race.”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.