By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
In what was his final full-time start in NASCAR, Elliott Sadler shed very few emotions throughout the weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
In August, the veteran driver announced that he would be stepping away to spend more time with Elliott.
Despite not having the best of days in the Ford EcoBoost 300, Sadler still believes that the decision to step away from racing full-time was the right decisions.
“It didn’t really end the way we wanted it to for our team. I am sure it will hit me tomorrow. I have such a good group of guys. I didn’t know how my emotions would be, but actually, I am OK which makes me feel good about my decision. I feel good right now. It feels right. I gave it my all, but we came up short,” Sadler stated post-race.
“I don’t have any regrets in my career. With the opportunities that I have had, I’ve tried to make the most out of them. I have had long enough to pursue my dreams and what I wanted to do. Now, it is time for me to help my children pursue theirs.”
Before speaking with media, Sadler wanted to celebrate and thank his No. 1 JR Motorsports crew for their efforts of coming in on non-companion weekends and Saturday’s to support him on pit road.
“I wanted to have a toast with my guys to tell them how much they meant to me and how they have changed my life these last couple of years. My over the road guys don’t have to come in on non-companion weekends,” he continued.
“They don’t have to come on Saturday’s. They come up big each and every weekend. They show up Saturday’s ready to go and have to do it all over again Sunday’s. I wanted to make sure they knew my appreciation.”
What will Sadler miss about racing in NASCAR and the NASCAR Xfinity Series? The answer is simple: the people.
“I will miss the fellowship and friends. I have made some good friends in this sport. It was neat with all the text messages and the people that came by. I received a ton of texts from country music singers, wrestlers, singers that were all going to watch my last race. That is what I will miss the most. I wouldn’t have met half these people if it wasn’t for NASCAR and the comradery we have.”
While Sadler will be stepping away, he will still be around to watch races as a fan. His goal is to move on and enjoy life and his family.
“I will be around and watch some races. I kind of want to move on. We have travel ballgames we have to do. We have ACC Tournament, football games, basketball games, concerts, but I will come to watch a few races as a fan and tailgate especially when they are close to home. Right now, I am looking forward to taking a break.”
In 853 starts across all three NASCAR national series events, Sadler collected 17 wins, 129 top-five and 305 top-10s.