The wheels continue to turn and the Elliott Sadler, AJ Allmendinger battle over the No.19 car for the 2009 season has reached the next stage.
One week after the announcement that Allmendinger would replace Sadler for this season and less than a week after Sadler threatened to file a lawsuit to stay in the car, it was announced today that Sadler will indeed stay in the No.19 car according to sources.
The announcement comes with the news that Petty Enterprises and Gillette-Evernham Motorsports have officially merged together. The newly merged team will run four cars in 2009, the No. 9 of Kasey Kahne, the No. 10 driver to be announced, No. 19 of Elliott Sadler and No. 43 of Reed Sorenson. Sorenson was originally scheduled to run the No.10 but that car is not locked into the top 35 in owner points.
"This is pretty exciting stuff," Kasey Kahne said. "I've gotten to know Richard over my five years working with Dodge and I look forward to being around him more. This is pretty awesome. The Gilletts have done a fantastic job of putting this together. I think you can see their commitment to winning. We could have kept on the same path, but they made a pretty bold statement that they are here to win."
With the season officially starting in a month there is still plenty of time for more to come from the Soap Opera that is Gillette-Evernham Motorsports only now they have all-time winning driver in NASCAR history, Richard Petty, added to the mix.
Sources: Foxsports.com and NASCAR.com
33 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
D-Boy 6 months ago
Obviously they intend to put AJ Allmendinger in their newly-acquired car, but overall I think this whole business has hurt Sadler.
Regardless of GEM's reasoning for what they did, the fact is that after Sadler threatened to sue any chance to good backing by GEM went out the window. A team isn't going to want to support someone who takes that kind of action when something like the Petty deal was still being worked out - a deal that anyone with half a brain could have seen as having the potential to keep Sadler with GEM, just in a different car.
After threatening to sue, the best thing for Sadler would be to NOT come back to GEM.
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
I agree D-Boy-
It's going to be a never ending drama with the 19 team. I bet that Sadler won't be there next year or maybe even by the end of the season.
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Crabber 1967 . 6 months ago
What a Mess!
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
You got that right. Enough said!
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S M Napier 6 months ago
Sure someone that knows law, that has a lot of influence had a heart to heart with Mr. Gillette and basically told him he was committing career suicide in NASCAR with the Sadler deal, plus it helps if the No. 19 sponsors back Sadler and were leaving if he wasn't driving. Now Gillette's future isn't that bright anyways with Jayski mentioning his financial problems, seems he bought up a bunch of car dealerships and now is hurting by the move. Sure we will see Kahne and Budweiser leaving during next years silly season and sure Elliot Sadler will be right behind him.
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
I think you're right SM-
The chemistry with the team is going to be all screwed up now. So he is going to want to leave I think and I'm sure that if his contract is up they will get rid of him.
I'm not sure that we wont' see him gone before the end of the year....then again, he might try to fight that too
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Ben Bomberger 6 months ago
This is just crazy... Why would Sadler even want to stay now? He should have bolted to the open car at DEI-Ganassi and not worried about things...
I agree Crabber -- what a mess!
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
It is crazy. I know that Sadler wants a job and now he fought for one where he isn't wanted. And yes there is an open car at DEI and Ganassi but I'm not so sure that I would want to drive there. If there perfomance is not better than last year then as a driver I would run in the opposite direction!
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Ben Bomberger 6 months ago
True... but I think the DEI-Ganassi cars perform better than the Gillett cars, other than a rare spark form Kahne (Lowe's Motorspeedway), those cares rarely compete for top-10 finishes... Of course, the DEI cars weren't much better last year, with the exception, occassionally of Truex (mostly at Talladega and Daytona) and Mark Martin...
It's an strange situation and will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
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Nathan B 6 months ago
He didn't bolt for the #41 because he had virtually no chance of landing it -- Labonte has been rumored to that ride for a very long time and is apparently very close to finalizing the contract, according to nearly every NASCAR news source there is.
Elliott would have probably been in the #22 or #96 if he was in any other car next year, both of which are far worse than the #19 (which is pretty bad itself).
And to say he's "not wanted" is simply inaccurate. George Gillet, who is hurting financially (see his Liverpool club), wanted to let him go primarily for financial reasons and eventually kept him for financial reasons (sponsors leaving, lawsuit, etc.). Having met and spoken with his pit crew, the head of Best Buy's Racing program, and Kasey Kahne (no, not long conversations or personal friends; just short conversations in chance meetings and rare opportunities behind the scenes), I can tell you that they certainly aren't people who "don't want him". And I imagine the same can be said for the engine builders, chassis builders, etc, etc.
Sadler and Allmendinger don't like each other and haven't since Charlotte. Radio communications have made that very clear. Allmendinger still doesn't think he did anything wrong in that invitational race and never apologized to Sadler directly, instead making flippant comments. As a "teammate", he nearly wrecked him twice and raced him (e.g., at Martinsville) extremely hard with an inferior car.
These reports all say how well Allmendinger and Kahne get along ... well, that's all fine and good, but I've now seen Kahne and Sadler twice playing video games together and / or sleeping on the couch pre-race in his motorcoach and seeming to get along awfully chummy. Not to mention the interactions observed when Kasey came to Elliott's house for his Barn Party for several hours around Labor Day. So, if AJ - Kasey are such great buds, and Elliott-Kasey are also good friends, the whole chemistry thing will certainly be interesting.
Personally, I wish them all success -- and, if they want it, chances are they need to get the hell away from George Gillet.
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Hollis Warren 6 months ago
Don't expect Sadler to contend for any wins this year (like he would have anyways), because I am sure there is going to be little motivation on the ownership's part to give him the same quality equipment they will give to Kahne and Sorenson. It just riles my feathers that Sadler can work his magic with the sponsors and lawyers to stay in a car he has done little with the past two seasons, whereas someone like Allmendinger might actually bring a breath of fresh air if he were put in the seat. Even if I had a contract at work, if I didn't perform up to expectations (especially in this economy), my rear would be out on the streets, so what makes Elliott so special in that regard? If I recall correctly, Sadler squirmed out of contracts with both the Woods and Yates to go drive another car. So this is like the pot calling the kettle black.
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
You are exactly right Hollis.
But I think what we're going to see this year is a team and organization that doesn't want him so the chemistry is going to be all messed up! And yes, he won't contend for wins, just like the rest of the Earnhardt Ganassi team
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mike armen 6 months ago
Are you serious about Almendinger? Have you seen him race? I have. Almendinger is a JOKE. He is a young rookie. This isn't the first clash that he and Elliot have had. Elliot was actually in third place in a race last season, in serious contention to win a race, almendingaling came up behind him and intentionally wrecked Elliot out for NO REASON. I guess he thought he was Earnhardt Sr. and could do a bump and run, but took Elliot out of the race. The damage to almendingalings' car cost him the race as well. They were in clear traffic, on a straightaway. Yes, he is a rookie, but he doesn't deserve Elliots' ride. Any other race driver I might be different about, but not almendingy.
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Dave Floyd 6 months ago
Hollis, I respectfully disagree with you in saying Sadler squirmed out of his previous contracts.
While driving for the Wood Brothers, Sadler got their last win which was at Bristol in 2001. When he left the Wood Brothers, it was a mutual agreement. Sadler even signed over his winnings to the Wood Brothers for the last few races he was with the team.
Once Sadler made the switch to Yates, he promptly finished in the top 10 in points, even though RYR was in the process of fielding less competitive cars.
Again, the move to Evernham was a mutual agreement. Granted, Sadler has not performed that well in the 19 car, but then GEM hasn't been competitive much at all in the last couple of seasons. Since Kahne has the best sponsor (most money) he probably gets the best equipment.
The main difference in Sadler switching teams in the past and GEM trying to push him out of a ride is GEM basically tried to fire Sadler. There was no mutual agreement. GEM probably backtracked when they realized it would cost them millions of dollars to terminate the contract. Plus, if there were any truth to the rumors that sponsors were going to pull out if Sadler were replaced, then that would have made it a no-brainer for GEM to keep Sadler in the 19 car.
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D-Boy 6 months ago
Mike, take a look at AJ Allmendinger's racing in 2006 if you think he's a joke. I'm surprised how many people literally just ignore his racing career prior to NASCAR.
AJ Allmendinger finished better than Sadler in all five races he drove for GEM. That's a fact - get over it.
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
You are right D-Boy
Allmendinger had a better average finish in the last five races. In a previous article that I wrote about the switch, I mentioned that.
As far as Allmendinger wrecking Eliott, everyone makes mistakes, I have not recently seen the tape but I highly doubt that he did it on purpose. I have never heard of these two not liking each other.
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D-Boy 6 months ago
Its not simply a better average, Kelly, not once during his time at GEM did Allmendinger finish BEHIND Sadler.
BTW, here's something for Allmendinger doubters to consider: So far as I know Mark Martin hasn't really said much about his feelings towards Sadler's driving ability, but several times he has stated he feels that AJ Allmendinger is going to be one of the best drivers in NASCAR if he sticks around and gets in some good equipment. Martin was a fan of Allmendinger's driving while AJ was still in Champ Car - he actually called AJ to congratulate him on the Road America victory.
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David Pace 6 months ago
I can't look at the stats at work because of computer restrictions, but I would love to look at the comparison of Allmendinger's and Sadler's finishes over the last several races. I know that AJ did a lot better. Sadler had several years to prove he deserved the ride at GEM, and frankly, he did not earn that ride. AJ, however, came to GEM with a team that had performed poorly all year, and quickly put that team in the mix. One could argue that Sadler had better "equipment" than AJ over the last few races, and still ended up behind AJ. I like Sadler, but I really believe that he lost something when he ended up on his roof, and in several other horrendous accidents. Don't get me wrong! I wouldn't make it through one of those wrecks, and he is tough as nails for wanting to get back behind the wheel. But, I believe those wrecks messed with his head/confidence. He did have really bad luck last year on the few occassions when he had a good run going, but there were way too many races where he ended up at least 1 lap down. GEM has got to turn their team around if they are going to be able to compete again with RCR, Roush, and Hendrick. Dodge also needs them to compete, and I'm sure the pressure there is more than they let on. Good luck to Sadler this year, but me thinks he sued GEM because he knows that no other team would even consider putting him in one of their rides......
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
AJ certainly did a lot better in the short amount of time that he was there compared to Sadler. Now, Sadler is a wonderful guy and perfect for sponsors but he simply did not get the job done and GEM wanted to look elsewhere.
Well obviously Sadler didn't like that and here we are today. I think that both AJ and Elliot will go on this year and we will see who comes out on top.
But I have a feeling that Sadler will not be with the team after this season.
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Jen Preston 6 months ago
Uh... I definitely didn't see this coming. I thought GEM would just try and pay Sadler off and be done with it. I'm sure, though, now that he is coming back that AJ will be in the no. 10, which is guarnteed in the top 35 because when DEI and Ganassi merged they got rid of the no. 01 and 15, which bumped the ten from 37th to 35th. Not sure where the #43 was in owner points at the end of the season.
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
I too thought that maybe they would try to buy out his contract and send him on his way. I guess that the economy stopped them from doing it.
I'm not sure about the 10 car because as of yesterday they said that the 10 car was NOT locked in. So maybe you're right and maybe they're wrong. Who knows I just want to go racing.
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S M Napier 6 months ago
The 43 was 21st. place.
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David Pace 6 months ago
Tyler: Why? Do you need some company?
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Mary Jo Buchanan 6 months ago
I think this whole Elliott's out, Elliott sues, Elliott's back in is one of the weirdest chapters in NASCAR that I've ever seen. Unfortunately as is often my case, I can see both sides of this issue. I can see GEM being so impressed with AJ that they wanted to move mountains, including Elliott, to get AJ on the team. And I can see Elliott suing for breach of contract, especially since there are very few rides out there at this point. I thought at first the whole "Elliott wants to not just be paid out but return to the race team" was just posturing on his attorney's part. But with Elliott getting married, going on his honeymoon and needing to be employed, maybe he will do just about anything to get his ride back. Or maybe his attorney was just posturing and GEM called his bluff? Either way, the trust factor on the 19 team and driver has to be close to being irreconcilable.......like I said this is one of the strangest situations I've seen in the sport.
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David Pace 6 months ago
2010 will look a whole lot different at GEM.
1) Sources say that Ray Evernham has cleared out his office
2) The merge with Petty means a 4th car, and 3 below average drivers in Sadler, AJ, and Reed "the only reason I am with GEM is because I was signed before silly season started" Sorenson.
3) Dodge may not be in Nascar after 2009
4) Kasey and Sadler may be leaving the team after 2009
5) Budweiser may be leaving GEM after 2009 (I still have a hard time believing that Richard Petty will want to have his name mentioned with Budweiser. Anyone remember how Petty would NOT participate in the Bud Shootout because a beer company was the sponsor?)
6) Gillette may have made some bad business decisions, but he is extremely wealthy. His pride might make him take drastic measures to win. (or, he figures out that NASCAR and hockey are two totally different sports, and he pulls out)
7) Other sponsors may pull out if they only have 2 drivers in AJ and Reed, and other teams have vacancies on "contending" teams. (Word has it that JGR still wants to field a 4th team.)
I would be willing to bet the following in 2010 or 2011:
1) GEM will be using Toyotas
2) The 9 and 19 will have different drivers with the 9 having a different sponsor
3) GEM will have 2 cars total (3 or 4 ONLY IF there is another merger)
4) Gillette either hires a NASCAR minded person to run the team, or sales his majority ownership to someone else (Penske/Petty/Gillette/Evernham Motorsports anyone??)
5) Kasey goes to another team (like JGR in a 4th car) and makes the chase consistently for the next 10 - 15 years....
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C Wilson 6 months ago
I'll vote for Kasey to go to a fourth JGR car! I would LOVE to see that!
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Mary Jo Buchanan 6 months ago
David, you should write up your comments as a follow up article - great thoughts.
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Saraswathi Siriginia 6 months ago
Very interesting set of comments and fine reporting from Kelly, so who's gonna be in No:10?
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
Looks like Allmendinger will be running a limited schedule in the 10 car!
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Patti Quilty 6 months ago
I like Elliott and feel there was another car if they wanted Amendinger so why even go there with getting rid of him ?????????????
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
Before they merged with Petty there was only three cars: the 9 of Kasey Kahne, the 10 which was going to be driven by Reed Sorenson and then the 19 car. They decided to replace Elliott because they saw that AJ did a wonderful job at the end of the season. So, they made the decision to get rid of Elliott Sadler who really has not done anything spectacular!
When they then merged with Petty, the 43 car came into the mix. So the line-up now is the 9 car, the 19 the 43 and then the 10 with AJ but only part time because of sponsor problems. Plus, I'm not sure that the car is locked into the top 35 in points.
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Patti Quilty 6 months ago
The 43 should be because Bobby finished well in points and does't that lock the car in? Or not because of the merger?
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Kelly Crandall 6 months ago
The 43 should be locked in, but I'm not sure about the 10
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