Sadler parlays strategic call into Nationwide win at Bristol

Sadler parlays strategic call into Nationwide win at Bristol
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
Mar. 17, 2012
BRISTOL, Tenn.—- An astute call to stay on the racetrack under caution gave 
Elliott Sadler the boost he needed to win his second Nationwide Series race of the season,
 two weeks after he broke a 14-year drought at Phoenix.
The Nationwide Series leader drove away from Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski after
 a restart on Lap 273 of 300 and beat Kahne to the finish line by 1.159 seconds to win
 Saturday's Ford EcoBoost 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The victory was the seventh of Sadler's career, and it came at the 
.533-mile track that gave him the first of his three Sprint Cup victories in 2001.
Keselowski finished third, followed by polesitter Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgaier, Trevor Bayne, Kevin Harvick an
d Ryan Truex completed the top 10.
With a two-tire stop on Lap 160, Bayne took the lead off pit road and held it until 
Stenhouse passed him in traffic on Lap 224. Stenhouse drove away as 
Bayne and Keselowski battled for the second spot; with 40 laps left 
Stenhouse held a 2.873-second advantage over Sadler, who had blown by both 
Bayne and Keselowski to take over the second position.
Sadler stayed out under caution after Kyle Busch's No. 54 Toyota pounded the wall between 
Turns 3 and 4 to bring out the fourth caution of the race on Lap 262.
 Kahne stayed out with Sadler, but all the drivers behind the top two came to pit road.
It didn't matter to Sadler that the drivers behind him had new tires.
 On old rubber, he pulled away for his second win in four Nationwide starts this year.