Elliott Sadler to Roush Fenway for 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series
Credit: Debbie Ross for Skirts and Scuffs |
Saturday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, Sadler announced his 2015 plan to join Roush Fenway Racing where he'll pilot the No. 1 Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, with Roush-Yates power under the hood and long-time sponsor OneMain Financial on it.
While he's not yet going back to the Sprint Cup Series, Sadler made it clear he believes he's still got plenty of talent and skill to make it in NASCAR's top tier. For now, he'll be home with Ford and the Yates horsepower that allowed him to score his three career Cup wins.
When asked about going back to racing in the Cup series, Sadler said he still has some goals in the Nationwide - soon to be XFINITY - series.
"I still really want to win a championship, and I want to win some more races. Do I still have enough left in the tank to make that happen? You're damn right I do."
Sadler's tone sharpened. "The last three years in the Nationwide Series, guys that I have been teammates with have gotten full-time cup rides: Austin Dillon, Brian Vickers and then Sam Hornish this year. Head to head, racing with each other, I've scored more points than all of them. So I feel like I'm doing my job competing at a high level. There's no other Nationwide driver in the series right now who has more wins and more poles than I do."
His plan is to go to Roush Fenway, win some races and contend for championships. "Then we'll see where the chips fall," Sadler said.
As the current driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 One Main Financial Toyota in the Nationwide Series, Sadler emphasized that Coach Gibbs had given him a great opportunity and while it would take more than a stumble by points leader Chase Elliott for his team to win the championship, he still owes it to the Coach to at least try to make it to second place.
"We need to end this season as strong as we can," said Sadler. "I want to end my relationship with the Coach in the highest way possible."
When asked why choose Roush Fenway, a team that has struggled in 2014 in both series, he explained, "Roush had the best fit for us as a sponsorship and as a driver."
Elliott Sadler to Roush Fenway for 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series
Reviewed by Janine Cloud
on
Friday, October 31, 2014
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