AVONDALE, AZ. – Elliott Sadler is one contest away from a single-race four-driver shootout for the NASCAR XFINITY Series title.
Before he can prepare for running in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sadler must transfer through the penultimate event of the season in the series where names are made – Saturday’s Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).
Positioned 16 points ahead of his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier – the first driver out for a berth in the Championship 4, — the 41-year-old Virginia native has a strong Phoenix resume. In 15 starts at the one-mile track, he claims one win (spring 2012), four top fives, eight top 10s and a 12.1 average finish. He has finished 12th or better in his last seven Phoenix starts.
“I have won at Phoenix before and I ran well there in the spring, but I have had some races there that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sadler said. “That is on my mind going into Phoenix, but this is a new year, new points system, and a new set of circumstances. I feel good right now and anytime that you are above the cut line, you’ve got to feel good in this deal.”
Sadler used a baseball analogy to further explain his points situation.
“We don’t have to hit a grand slam to make it to Homestead, we just need to hit a few singles, and it is a lot easier doing that,” he said. “We just need to do our job and continue doing what we have been doing and if we stay focused to ourselves, we’ll be fine.”
Source: Staff Report / NASCAR Wire Service
