Elliot Sadler Takes the Win in Bristol Motor Speedway's Most Emotional Victory

Coming into the 2001 Food City 500, most fans figured that the usual favorites, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, and Sterling Marlin were going to win that event. Little did they know they would get a flashback from the 1970's and how two of NASCAR's oldest race teams would fight for the win that afternoon.

Kevin Harvick and Gordon dominated the beginning stages of that event. It looked like it was going to be a battle between those two all day, until a late spin by Mike Wallace brought to life one of the greatest upsets in NASCAR history.

It was at that point, the Wood Brothers racing team and driver Elliott Sadler, filled up and took four tires, little did we know what was in store.

As the 500 laps clicked away, Harvick had to pit with 69 laps to go, handing the lead over to Sadler.

Everyone thought that Sadler and the Wood Brothers would have to pit again, but they were mistaken.

As the race laps began to click down, the Wood Brothers racing team was doing the near impossible—trying to go 162 laps on fuel.

Everyone thought they were crazy. The scoreboard showed an unlikely duo at the top of it. Unlikely yes. Unusual, no!

The No. 21 car was first, and running second was John Andretti in the Petty Enterprise No. 43. It was a classic Wood Brothers-Petty Enterprise battle for the win, no not Richard Petty and David Pearson, but Sadler and Andretti, battling it out for victory.

Sadler's fuel held up that day, and the 260,000 people at Bristol Motor Speedway that afternoon cheered the No. 21 car as it did it's victory lap for the first time in eight years.

Sadler came from a 38th starting position to win that afternoon. It was the Wood Brothers' first win at Bristol Motor Speedway.

For Sadler, it was his first career win in his 75th start. He now has three career wins, but nothing was quite as good as his first, when he and his the Wood Brothers did the near impossible.