SADLER WINS
BIG FINISH IN TEXAS

Ft. Worth, TX: Elliott Sadler didn't seem likely to be the winner at Texas Motor Speedway. But he was patient and kept the #38 M&Ms Ford in the top 10 all day. Then, as Jeff Gordon slid back with an engine problem on lap 307, Elliott was ready to jump into the lead. Although he had a significant lead, it wasn't long before he looked up and found the swift car of Kasey Kahne closing in. On the final lap, Elliott had to take a Texas Two-Step around the lapped car of Johnny Sauter to beat Kasey at the finish line. It was Elliott's first Cup win since Bristol in 2001.

Kasey Kahne once again brought the fans to their feet with another electrifying finish. He had led most of the laps (148) and obviously had the strongest car all day. When he was leading, it was usually by a 3 second or larger advantage. But, Kasey's luck did not hold out as he found himself a lap down after a caution came out when he had just finished a green flag pit stop. He was fortunate that another quick caution allowed him back onto the lead lap. The #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge then set about methodically working his way from 7th position back to the front. He caught up to Elliott Sadler and tried in vain to get by. Kasey continues to thrill the crowds with his third fantastic finish of this season. He is the only rookie in the top 10 in the Championship standings (7th).

With only 33 laps remaining in the race, Jeff Gordon felt good about his chance to win for the first time at Texas Motor Speedway. But just 8 laps later, the alternator chewed up the power in his primary battery causing Jeff to slip back a couple of spots before he could switch to the back up. At that point, it was too late for the #24 DuPont Chevrolet to catch the #9 Dodge or #38 Ford. Jeff did move up to 9th in championship points.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr did not have a great car all day, but he did have a little luck. When a good number of cars went a lap down at the caution on lap 267, Jr was fortunate that he had not gone onto pit road under the green flag. This gave the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet great track position. Jr came in 4th in the race and maintained his 3rd place position in points.

In the past, Rusty Wallace was normally a victim of cautions coming out during green flag pit stops, usually resulting in his being put down a lap. Today, it was different. Lady Luck reached out and tapped Rusty, whose #2 Miller Lite Dodge had dropped back as far as 15th. Rusty did not pit prior to the lap 267 caution. This gave him time to make some adjustments during the caution and gave him great track position late in the race. Although an earlier decision to take on just 2 tires resulted in his leading the race, he was not able to hold that position. Unlike last week in Bristol, the late cautions worked to Rusty's advantage and he was able to end the race 5th.

It seemed that Lady Luck made several appearances with different drivers today. Kurt Busch had pit road problems early in the race when he had trouble getting into his pit box. However, he too found fortune when he missed going down a lap and ended up 5th out of 7 cars remaining on the lead lap. The brightest spot of the day was Kurt's move into 1st place in the Championship standings. He now leads team mate Matt Kenseth by a 19 point margin. Matt had a terrible day in the #17 DeWalt Ford. He bounced off the wall a couple of times and had to pit several times for adjustments. Still he finished the race 16th.

Casey Mears is having an extraordinary sophomore year in the Cup Series. He finished 7th today giving him his 2nd top 10 of the young season. He had only 4 top 10 finishes in his entire rookie season in 2003. The #41 Target/Fujifilms Dodge has led laps in 3 races this year. Casey looks forward to continuing the season in this manner.

Putting away his aggressive behavior from a week ago, Tony Stewart had to concentrate on an extremely tight vehicle for most of the race. Although he was placed a lap down on the lap 267 caution, he was fortunate enough to receive the free pass back onto the lead lap at the next caution. Tony brought the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet in 8th and kept his 4th spot in the standings.

Jimmie Johnson experienced some bad luck on pit road when one of his tires rolled out of the pit box on lap 264. Jimmie was black flagged and had to bring the #48 Lowes Chevrolet down pit road for a drive through penalty. Jimmie got back onto the lead lap and came in 9th.

Jamie McMurray finished the race 10th. The #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge also had an engine problem that caused him to lose several positions. He got the free pass on the lap 284 caution that was caused on a restart when Scott Wimmer did not get a good start in the #22 Caterpillar Dodge and he was booted by Brian Vickers in the #25 GMAC Chevrolet. Wimmer spun into Jeremy Mayfield in the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge. Jeremy had just been given the free pass back onto the lead lap during the prior caution.

When Bill Elliott took the lead on the first lap, it appeared as though the #91 Ray Evernham Dodge would be the car to beat. But, unlike the luck several other drivers experienced, Bill had a tire go down with just 61 laps remaining. The unsponsored Dodge spun and struck the outside wall. Although Bill is semi-retired, he hopes to find a sponsor that will allow him to compete in several more races this year.

Article by S. Kipple
04/04/04

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