Elliott Sadler Interview

BioName: Elliott Sadler
Age: 27
Hometown: Emporia, Virginia
Resides: Emporia, Virginia
Marital Status: Single
Racing Involvement:Will drive M&M's No. 38 Ford of Robert Yates Racing in 2003; driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford for four seasons, 1999-2002; returned Wood Brothers Racing to Victory Lane with win at Bristol in 2001; five-time winner in Busch Series; former track champion at South Boston Speedway in Virginia.

All eyes will be on Elliott Sadler in 2003 as he moves from Wood Brothers Racing to debut the No. 38 M&M's Ford of Robert Yates Racing. Sadler took time recently to discuss his career move, and proposed an interesting way for drivers to settle their differences.

SCR: Was it difficult to go to Eddie and Len Wood early in 2002 and tell them you wanted out of your contract with Wood Brothers Racing?
Sadler: That's by far the most difficult decision I've ever had to make, and by far the most difficult minute of my life when I took the time to tell Eddie at the airport in California, because they're just such great people. But I felt it was something I needed to do. I thought long and hard about it, but when the time came to make that decision-to actually go through with it-it was very tough internally.

SCR: How long did you agonize over that decision before you finally went through with it?
Sadler: A few months, and then, finally, I wanted to save a sinking ship. We weren't running like we should have, and I was scared of Motorcraft pulling out and leaving the Wood brothers without a sponsor. I didn't want to be the person responsible for the Wood brothers losing their sponsor and maybe having to get out of racing. So I decided to step forward and ask for my release. Maybe it would give me some chances to go other places and also give them a chance to find a great driver for this race team.

SCR: It's almost like you single-handedly set Silly Season in motion. Were you surprised by the frenzy you triggered in the sport when you asked out of your contract?
Sadler: I didn't know there were that many people paying attention to what was going on with my life and my career, but it got really hectic. Some of it was fun. I got to meet a lot of great people, a lot of great owners and sponsors. By meeting with some of the business managers, I really got to see the way a lot of different race teams are run and how they work. It was pretty neat, a good experience. There were some hard decisions to be made. When you've got friends involved with different race teams, it makes it tough sometimes, but it all worked out great.

SCR: How did you hook up with M&M's? How did that deal transpire?
Sadler: Robert (Yates) called me and said he had a deal with a sponsor and wanted me to meet with these guys to do an interview deal and see if they liked me and if I fit in with what they were looking for. I can't remember exactly what race it was, but I had a meeting with Robert, Doug (Yates), and the M&M's people and just had a two-hour pow-wow on what could've, should've, or might happen in the future. I got a phone call a few days later saying they wanted to do the deal and we actually signed on the same day, M&M's and I did. So it was a pretty special day for all of us.

SCR: The rumor was that you were shopping around a sponsor. So apparently, it wasn't M&M's.
Sadler: No, I didn't have any sponsors at all with me. That was one of the things that bothered me the most about Silly Season. Everybody was really hitting it on the head. The media was doing a good job on what was going on-other than that I had a sponsor with me. If I had a sponsor with me I would have given it to my brother (Hermie) so he could run the full season. That would mean more to me than anything. But as far as my having anything with me, that never happened. That never came true or even was a possibility.

SCR: So Robert initiated the contact?
Sadler: When he heard that I had asked for my release, of course, he knew and everybody else knew then that I was available. We started talking and thought that this might work or that might work, and I went to Dale Jarrett and asked him would he mind or would he give me his blessing if I came over there to be his teammate. I asked him if he thought it would work and could we work together, and he said yeah. Robert and I kept talking and kept talking and it seemed like everything just fell right into place. I've made a lot of good friends over there so far, and I'm looking forward to racing with them.