For the first time since 2012, NASCAR XFINITY Series regular Elliott Sadler hopes to compete in the “Great American Race” attempting next month’s Daytona 500 with Tommy Baldwin Racing, CATCHFENCE.com has learned.
An official announcement is expected Thursday.
Golden Corral, a longtime supporter of Tommy Baldwin Racing will sponsor the effort.
The team must qualify for the season-opening event after TBR sold its charter to Leavine Family Racing at the end of the 2016 season. With 36 teams guaranteed a starting position through the charter, Sadler and TBR will fight for one of four available starting positions for the Feb. 26 race.
Some of TBR’s greatest success in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has come on the superspeedways. Three of the team’s four top-10 finishes at the sport’s pinnacle level have come at Daytona International Speedway or Talladega Superspeedway, a similar restrictor plate oval.
Driver Dave Blaney earned the team’s first top-five finish of third at Talladega Superspeedway in 2011, while J.J. Yeley and Regan Smith earned the team additional top-10 runs at Daytona’s February race in 2013 and 2016 respectively.
Sadler, the Emporia, Va. native has competed in 13 Daytona 500s, mostly recently in 2013 with Richard Childress Racing. Sadlers’ best effort came in the 2002 race driving for Wood Bros. Racing when he finished second to Ward Burton.
Sadler, 41, is beginning his second NASCAR XFINITY Series season with JR Motorsports. Last year, the 17-time NASCAR winner earned three wins, 14 top-five and 29 top-10s and competed as one of the Championship 4 in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished third, but settled for second in the standings behind champion Daniel Suarez.
Sadler’s first win last season came at Talladega giving him the perfect Birthday present in a wild victory over Brennan Poole.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
