Elliott Sadler

Last season was another tough near-miss of the championship for Sadler. For the second straight year, and fourth in the last seven, the veteran driver finished runner-up in the championship race. The year was hard in a few respects for the No. 1 JRM team. Sadler went winless through the 2017 campaign, and saw his average finish balloon to 9.4. Still, he managed to grab 25 Top-10 finishes and be in the running to win the title in the season finale at Homestead. Sadler will look to improve upon last season's efforts. He returns to the No. 1 Chevrolet team and the same sponsorship lineup and crew. The 42-year-old Virginian has averaged 13 Top-5 and 27 Top-10 finishes over the last two seasons of racing. Sadler is the elder statesman of the Xfinity Series, but make no mistake about his driving talent.

Sadler went from bust-to-boom with his transition to JR Motorsports in 2016. In his first season of racing for the No. 1 Chevrolet team the veteran driver stacked up three wins (his most since 2012) and a career-best 29 Top-10 finishes. Sadler would be in the running to win the Xfinity Series championship right up until the last race at Homestead, where he would fall just short of Daniel Suarez. Sadler returns to this team with sponsorship from OneMain Financial and will once again be paired with crew chief Kevin Meendering. The team was a real hit last season, and they should be in the mix for the championship once again this season.

The 20-year veteran makes the jump from Roush Fenway Racing to JR Motorsports in 2016. The move should do Sadler tons of good. He struggled last year at Roush and posted his worst numbers in the last five seasons of Xfinity Series racing. Sadler is just two years removed from a one-win, 25 Top-10 season at Joe Gibbs Racing, so we know the veteran still has plenty of good racing left in him. Sadler takes over the No. 9 Chevrolet that Chase Elliott used so well the last two years and the car number changes to the No. 1. We should see a return to victory lane in the upcoming season, and 20+ Top-10 finishes with an outside run at the championship.

The 18-year NASCAR veteran jumped ship over the off-season. Sadler no longer races for team owner Richard Childress. He moved to the Joe Gibbs Racing stable and the No. 11 Toyota that was occupied by Brian Scott in 2012. The move should further enhance Sadler’s chances to win the championship. Scott piloted this car to 11 Top 10’s and a ninth-place points finish in 2012. We expect Sadler to take this strong team to new heights in the upcoming season. The veteran driver is fresh off a four-win and 24 Top 10 campaign at RCR that saw him finish runner-up in the championship standings. Sadler could raise the bar even higher in 2013.

Sadler went from the penthouse to the outhouse in 2005. In the early running he looked like a championship contender, but eventually missed the Chase for the Cup. Sadler hopes to find the missing consistency in 2006. We think Sadler will be improved this season, but still not a championship contender.