The Frontstretch: What's the Call? Sadler Quick Fix For Evernham? by Tom Bowles and Toni Heffelfinger -- Thursday August 24, 2006

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What's the Call? Sadler Quick Fix For Evernham?

Tom Bowles and Toni Heffelfinger · Thursday August 24, 2006

 

Welcome to this week’s edition of What’s the Call? Each week, two of your favorite Frontstretch writers will duke it out in a debate concerning one of NASCAR’s big controversies. Don’t let us be the only ones to speak our minds, though…be sure to read both sides and let us know what you think about the situation in the comment section below!

This Week’s Question: Does Eliott Sadler’s outstanding qualifying run and Top 10 finish at MIS prove that the 19’s problem was the driver, or was the real problem with that team the reassignment during the offseason and one good run not an indicator?

Sadler Right Fit At Right Time For No. 19
Tom Bowles

Now, I know this alters the question a bit, but let me start this off with a statement I think I’ve made clear several times, especially if you’re read me over at Sports Illustrated : in my opinion, Jeremy Mayfield was not the problem that caused his failure at Evernham Motorsports in 2006. With that said, I’m now convinced his departure and the arrival of Elliott Sadler is the spark the No. 19 team needs to end the season on a high note.

In theory, the team’s already reached that note, with their best finish of the year, 10th, at Michigan last weekend with Sadler after he qualified on the outside pole. Why such a quick turnaround? Well, think about it for a second. Jeremy’s departure from Evernham didn’t just happen overnight; it’s been weeks of behind the scenes legal wrangling and public posturing by both driver and car owner to get themselves out of a situation that was spiraling out of control. With the chemistry on the team clearly not right already, it certainly didn’t help matters when both driver and car owner are going at it in front of the media. How are you, as a crew member, going to fully concentrate and give 110% for your team when the key players in your program are front and center in a media circus?

With Sadler’s official hiring and the release of Mayfield to the No. 19 car, that circus is somewhat lifted, and these guys now are in a position to focus on a new driver, a fresh start to get their season turned around. These crew guys also feel they have something to prove, as they may be fighting for their jobs; certainly, if performance doesn’t improve with the new driver, the axe is going to fall on the No. 19 again, and it’s certainly not going to be on Elliott. In that situation, you begin running on pure adrenaline, and put in that little extra effort you might not have been making before when you weren’t even sure if your driver was going to be sticking around to the next race.

Let’s not forget about Sadler in this situation, either. The guy hasn’t won in two years, and spent most of his career at Robert Yates underperforming; expected to be a yearly contender for the title there and a multiple race winner, he won in the No. 38 car just twice in three and a half seasons, qualifying for the Chase only once and finishing no higher than ninth in points. Now 30 years old, the guy that was looked at as one of the hottest young phenoms on tour a few years ago is clearly being given his last best chance at stardom here; should Sadler fail at Evernham, there will be no quality ride left for a veteran driver with just one year on his resume where he’s finished in the Top 5 more than twice over a full season of races.

The way the Mayfield situation went down in 2006 reminds of the time he left Penske in 2001. Remember how the replacement driver there did? In just eight starts, Mike Wallace led the team from chaos to its two best finishes of the year, including a 2nd place at Phoenix in a race he could have won under the right circumstances. Ward Burton, too, had blood on his hands after a contentious departure from Bill Davis towards the end of 2003. His replacement driver? Scott Wimmer, who in his second race in the No. 22 car scored a Top 10; Ward had just four in 32 starts that year.

Now, neither Wallace or Wimmer were successful after their substitute stints with those teams; Wallace was gone by the beginning of 2002, and Wimmer struggled in two years with Davis. But the adrenaline and energy they brought to rides clearly in chaos were able to mask the deeper problems in those situations long enough for them to be temporarily successful. I was initially skeptical this particular situation would follow suit, as this team was clearly in chaos; but the strong support of history combined with last week’s strong finish was enough to change my tune.

Now that the die is cast, don’t be surprised to see the No. 19 car continue to be successful. If Sadler finds Victory Lane by Labor Day Weekend in California, you can’t say you didn’t read it was coming.

One Run For Sadler Doesn’t Prove A Thing
Toni Heffelfinger

Elliott Sadler sits on the front row and finishes tenth in his first start in the 19 car, so all the problems the team had this season must be Jeremy Mayfield's fault, right? Everything will go smooth as can be from here on out, right? Who knows? How on earth can you tell from one run? There are all sorts of ways to account for the one good run without saying all the problems have been fixed.

Maybe they put extra effort into the 19 car this week because team owner Ray Evernham doesn't like to be wrong, and he wants it to look like the problems on that team have all been because of former driver Jeremy Mayfield. What could Ray not want to be wrong about? There are multiple choices there, too. He might have been wrong about being fully attentive to that team and its needs. It might have indeed been in desperate need of some attention from him. See, this one is kind of touchy though. If the good run was the result of extra attention from the team owner to insure they had the right equipment and setups to perform well, doesn't that almost prove Mayfield's point? Of course, on the surface, it didn't appear things were done any differently than usual, so I can't say for certain that there was an extra effort made.

Well, if it wasn't lack of attention from Ray Evernham, maybe it was the crew swap made with the 9 team this season. After two consecutive Top 10 runs, Mayfield's reward was to lose his entire team to teammate Kasey Kahne who has missed the Chase twice. Apparently Evernham felt Kahne would benefit from having the stronger team, while Mayfield's experience could carry his new team into uncharted Top 10 territory. Well, team swaps are always a gamble. It can take a team with good chemistry that was ticking along on all cylinders and plunge it into chaos as they look for a new balance.

Certainly, the team wasn’t restructured in the wake of Sadler’s hiring, so the problems they may have caused may very much remain. Did they instantly find that chemistry with new driver Elliott Sadler? Again, who knows? One good run is not enough to base a conclusion on. That would be like saying the couple who met in Vegas yesterday and got married at the drive-thru wedding chapel are definitely going to have a long and happy marriage. It's just too soon to tell.

Here's a thought. Maybe Sadler and his new team just happened to get lucky in their first week together. Sometimes, it just works out that way. Just about any given week, there's a guy that has an unusually good run. Teams in chaos usually don’t magically fix themselves; so, until I see the 19 string together a few of those good runs in a row, I'm really not convinced the problem was purely the driver and that everything has been fixed with the arrival of Elliott Sadler.

So, which side has the better argument? Let us know by voting in our weekly Frontstretch poll here. Remember, you need to be a message board member to vote, so don’t delay; join now!

 

©2000 - 2008 Tom Bowles and Toni Heffelfinger and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!

Marla
08/24/2006 06:50 AM
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That was a good finish for Sadler. I was watching his progress, and listening to his scanner on Trackpass.

His communication was a bit better with his new Crew Chief. However, Sadler did little in the way of passing cars during that race. Any cars he passed were the regular back burners. As pit strategy played out, he was as high as 2nd, but the car was not strong enough to pass the leader. Indeed the car was passed several times on that last segment.

I will reserve my cheers for the Sadler-Evernham relationship until I see consistently front-running cars capable of passing to win.

Yes, this was a good finish. But it is not a predictor of the future.

Bob
08/24/2006 09:04 AM
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We shouldnt forget the “I told you I was good” factor in this whole situation.Both the 19 team and Sadler put forth a huge effort to outperform their past to prove that the problems were either Yates or Mayfield’s fault.Can they sustain the momentum? doubtfull

skeeter
08/24/2006 09:39 AM
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dont forget sadler got a new crew chief last week.Jeremy had been wanting the same guy for months.(Josh Brown)Chris Andrews whom JM did not get along with has dissapeared too.

Al
08/24/2006 11:53 AM
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I think Mayfield put it best when he said he didn’t forget how to drive a car from one season to the next!

pbred8
08/24/2006 12:01 PM
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Maybe, Elliot was in one of the cars that had been a # 9.(a good car, not junk)

Kim
08/24/2006 12:41 PM
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I’m giving Elliott the benefit of the doubt. He’s a good driver who has had junk cars at RYR. Look how bad Gilliland and Jarrett did last race. Same thing as every week. I think he’ll fit in well and drive the heck out of that #19 car in the weeks to come.

Jason
08/24/2006 01:41 PM
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hooraa for Ray!!!It’s hard for me not to be happy with Mayfields departure.I’m evernham through and through,and and after the Penski thing and Mayfield,well I’t dont’t look good!!!

Mimi
08/24/2006 03:00 PM
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Nothing against Elliot Sadler, but his good run was in part due to Ray trying to “I told you it was Jeremy’s fault not the teams”. Of course Ray was out to prove Jeremy wrong and himself right for the termination for “lack of performance”. Of course Jeremy didn’t forget how to drive, he just got the raw end of the deal. JMO, but Ray has stained his reputation with this whole deal and it won’t go away just because he won’t talk about it. He also wants to return to the glory he had with Jeff Gordon. If he keeps mixing business with pleasure that won’t happen. Maybe in the future Kasey will leave and there will go Ray’s best chance at achieving new found glory!

AKT
08/24/2006 04:38 PM
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I am so tired of the media getting into Ray’s business. It is nobody’s business. I think Evernham did an awesome thing bringing in Sadler. Now whether or not he will perform time will tell. You cannot fault Elliot for his performance at RYR. Yes he made some bad decisions here and there but he was given crappy cars with RYR. How could he show his true potential with a crappy car. A driver is only as good as his car. Evernham can provide much better cars than RYR and furthermore, Mayfield was not willing to agree to Kasey’s setup like Sadler is agreeable to. I think the #19 will improve over time. Ray knows what he is doing and he has to much invested to allow a woman to distract him. If he is distracted then Ray is an idiot.

Marla
08/24/2006 07:34 PM
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Gilliland cut a tire. Granted, he was not running near the front. BUT, he was running right behind Sadler for most of the first half of the race.

I can’t say one way or the other about David. He has a lot of work to do, but judging on past history, Mars will be a patient sponsor. I think that if Sadler had cut a tire, there would have been more mercy in the court of opinion on Gillilands future.

J. Meyer
08/24/2006 09:50 PM
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“Ray knows what he is doing and he has to much invested to allow a woman to distract him. If he is distracted then Ray is an idiot.”

The answer to that question is found throughout the history of mankind, beginning with Adam and Eve.

Nathan
08/30/2006 11:37 AM
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And your excuse for Gilliland at Bristol? Elliott’s top-5 car got wrecked by Nemechek. Gilliland got wrecked by Gilliland. It’s clear Sadler’s better than Mayfield and that Evernham has turned it around (nice job Scott Riggs with your 4th place finish). Elliott Sadler’s the most underrated driver in NASCAR.

More Side by Sides!