[media-credit name=”rir.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″]
[/media-credit]Elliott Sadler and Denny Hamlin Sweep the Weekend
Richmond, VA (March 5, 2012)— Emporia, Va. native Elliott Sadler and Chesterfield, Va.’s Denny Hamlin both brought home victories for the Commonwealth this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
Elliott Sadler captured his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory since 1998 on Saturday afternoon in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200. The win marked Sadler’s first career win at PIR and ended a 13-season winless drought. The win gave Sadler a 10 point lead in the Nationwide Series points standings over second-place Austin Dillon.
Sadler also announced this weekend that he will drive the No. 55 car for Michael Waltrip Racing in five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this season.
Denny Hamlin, with Floyd, Va. native crew chief Darian Grubb atop the pit box, found redemption at the track that crushed his championship hopes in 2010. Hamlin’s win Sunday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Subway Fresh Fit 500 propelled him into the series points lead by six points over Greg Biffle.
The victory for the Virginia team of Hamlin and Grubb came after only two races together. After the win on Sunday, Hamlin tweeted, “It’s going to be a good year I feel it.”
Grubb, who led Tony Stewart to the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, has 6 wins in the last 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, making him one of the top crew chiefs of the series.
The Virginia boys will return to Richmond International Raceway April 26-28 for three nights of racing on the ¾ mile short-track that Sadler and Hamlin call home. The weekend features the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 400 race “under the lights” on Saturday, April 28. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here or calling 866-455-7223.
The Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown Late Model race and the Blue Ox 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race kick off the weekend Thursday, April 26. All tickets for Thursday are general admission and $25. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.
To purchase tickets for the April 27 NASCAR Nationwide Series 250 race and Pre-Race Pit Passes, click here and be sure to “add race day activities” or call 866-455-7223. Friday’s tickets start at $30 in advance and children 12 and younger are admitted free with a ticketed adult in general admission.
