CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver Elliott Sadler tests at Homestead-Miami Speedway Tuesday and Wednesday before traveling to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. In 2004, Sadler won the second of his three career victories on the 1.5-mile Texas oval.
This weekend he and his Michael Waltrip Racing teammates race with the knowledge gained from testing at the Texas track Oct. 21-22.
Sadler led six laps Sunday and finished 25th at Martinsville in his first start in the No. 55 replacing Brian Vickers who will sit out the remainder of the season for medical reasons. Vickers joined Sadler on the grid before the race and on top of the team’s pit box during the race in Martinsville. Vickers vowed he’ll be ready for full-time competition in 2014.
ELLIOTT SADLER ON TESTING WITH NEW TEAM: “It’s hard to put in words how much it helped me to go to Texas and test with this team instead of being thrown right into the fire. I didn’t really know Billy Scott (race engineer) and a lot of the guys on the team. I have worked with Scott Miller (crew chief) before at Diamond Ridge Motorsports, but not at this capacity. So, we got to go to the test at Texas and work through a lot of different things for two days. When they told me (about the Texas and Homestead tests) over the phone I was like, ‘Man, this is great.’ A lot of track time in the Cup car here in a 10-day period is definitely good for me. Track time, you can’t buy that!”
BRIAN VICKERS: “I feel like I could drive a race car, I just can’t. I feel great. Still training, still exercising — I miss being here, I wish I was here today. All in all, I feel good. I’ve told many people this since everything happened. I can’t complain. I’ve got a great life and family and friends. I’m frustrated and I’ve been bummed since obviously all this happened again. I’m just kind of looking forward. Things happen in life — that’s part of it. You just keep fighting and have faith. That’s all you can really do. I’m going to be out for three months and back in time for Daytona to race for a championship.”
NOTES:
· CHASSIS: 783 battled for the lead with Vickers behind the wheel before mechanical issues ended the race early at Chicagoland Speedway.
· ALL IN THE FAMILY: Sadler’s older brother Hermie drove the Aaron’s Dream Machine at Talladega in 2003 and five times in the 2006 season
· SADLER STATS: In 18 Texas races he owns a victory and three top-10s. Sadler won the pole for the fall race in 2010 driving for Richard Petty Motorsports. Sadler owns three Sprint Cup, nine Nationwide and a Camping World Truck Series victory. He’s led 1,244 laps in Sprint Cup competition. He’s won eight Sprint Cup poles. Sadler has started 432 Sprint Cup and 227 Nationwide races. He won the 2008 Sprint Showdown.
· AUCTION: RK Motors Collector Car Auction is Thursday through Sunday at the Charlotte Convention Center. Over 200 of the finest classic and collector cars will be on display and up for auction. Including race cars driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr., AJ Foyt and James Hunt. The event is open to the public and general admission tickets start at only $7.50. Tickets can be purchased online at www.rkmcca.com.
· CREW:
Ex. VP Comp. – Scott Miller
Car Chief/7thman – Steve Channing
Front Changer – Ryan Langley
Rear Changer – Shannon Myers
Front Carrier – Chris Hall
Rear Carrier – Mark Kennerly
Jackman – Tony Cardamone
Gas man – Brian Dheel
2nd Gas Man – Kelly Johnson
Spotter – Curtis Markham
Engineer – Billy Scott
2nd Engineer – Scott McDougall
Tires – Kevin White
Eng.Tuner – Denny Chandler (TRD)
Shocks – Mike (Nook) McCarville
Front Mechanic – Jacen Johns
Interior Mech. – David Cropps
Truck Driver – Glenn Shano
2nd Truck Driver – John Murphy
Pit Coach – Greg Miller
Dir. Race Eng. – Chad Walter
Ex. VP Engineering – Tom German
· NO. 55 in 2014: Aaron’s, Inc. announced Aug. 13 it had reached a multi-year agreement to sponsor Vickers in the No. 55. Vickers has raced the No. 55 on a part-time basis the last two seasons for MWR posting his third career victory at New Hampshire on July 14. Beginning in 2014, he’ll pilot the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine with a fresh new paint scheme. Aaron’s will sponsor each race during the length of the agreement.
· SOCIAL STOP: Make MWR’s “Social Stop” your second screen to follow all the racing and social media action when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this weekend. MWR’s “Social Stop” goes live race morning allowing fans to view information from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube all on one page. Twitter feeds from MWR drivers, media members and NASCAR fans will populate the page. Visitors can also interact with fellow race fans and answer poll questions on the page. Visit www.facebook.com/michaelwaltripracing or www.MichaelWaltripRacing.com/social.
· AARON’S: All October, Aaron’s is helping you score big on all the best brands! Spin our in-store wheel and you could win up to $100 off your first month’s lease. Register in-store or online at Aarons.com/bigscore to win a $5,000 shopping spree. As always, you’re pre-approved for up to $2,000 in merchandise. Score big and own easier at Aaron’s today!
· INSIDER PROGRAM: MWR Insider Program offers all race fans sponsor discounts, specials on merchandise, exclusive pictures and video content plus fan giveaways throughout the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Fans can access the MWR Insider Program through the CardStar application available on most smartphones. MWR will work on behalf of the fans to expand the offerings beyond just its current sponsor line-up, aggregating industry-wide deals and discounts. Fans can text MWR to 42828 to get the card for free. Offers include free headset with rental of a FanVision unit ($19.99 value) and 25% off Toyota Racing merchandise at Toyota Racing.com.
