FOXNews.com: Full steam ahead for Sadler

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Full steam ahead for Sadler Mar 22nd 2012, 17:36 Philadelphia, PA –  Elliott Sadler has been on a tear in the Nationwide Series lately, and he's showing no signs of letting up. Sadler has won two of the first four races this season. He ended a 91-race winless streak in NASCAR's second-tier series earlier this month at Phoenix. Sadler had been a competitor in the Sprint Cup Series from 1999-2010 before returning to Nationwide full-time for the 2011 season. With two victories and a pair of third-place finishes, Sadler has built a 25- point lead over defending Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sadler drove for Kevin Harvick Inc. last year, but KHI ceased operations and sold its equipment to Richard Childress Racing when the season concluded. Team owner Richard Childress paired Sadler with crew chief Luke Lambert, and the two have stormed out of the gate. "This sport is built on momentum, and I think getting two quick wins here at the beginning of the season is really good for our team," Sadler said. "Luke Lambert is a young, smart crew chief, and he is as hungry as I am to continue to improve and continue to grow stronger as the season continues. Our team is experienced. There is a lot of talent on our team, and I think that we are going to continue to remain focused each and every week on the goal of winning this Nationwide Series championship." Sadler is hopeful his momentum will continue this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. One year ago, he competed in a Nationwide race at California for the first time since 2008. Sadler started 34th but quickly moved up into the top-10. He went on to finish fifth. "I feel like I ran pretty well there last season with a top-five finish," he said. "I feel like we are a little better prepared this season, because we know what kind of setup we need to be able to get there and unload quickly." Remarkably, the four Nationwide races so far this season have been won by non- Sprint Cup regulars. James Buescher, a Camping World Truck Series competitor, won the season-opener at Daytona, and Stenhouse picked up the victory at Las Vegas. Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are those Sprint Cup regulars competing in this race. Busch has won the last three Nationwide events at California but all of those victories came while he was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is now in his first year as driver/owner of the No. 54 Toyota. Busch has finished no better than 11th this season. "We recognize there is still work to be done though to have all the parts we need internally and to apply what we know, as a group, at the racetrack and really perform well together," he said. "We have to minimize our mistakes too which is part of growing." Forty-two teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Royal Purple 300. Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, March 24. Race: Royal Purple 300. Site: Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Track: two-mile oval. Start time: 2:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 150. Miles: 300. 2011 Winner: Kyle Busch. Television: ESPN. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Satellite.

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