Sadler rebounds, holds off Keselowski for victory at PIR

NASCAR wire service

AVONDALE, Ariz

Elliott Sadler got some well-deserved payback at Phoenix International Raceway.

At the one-mile venue where a wreck in Turn 3 effectively knocked him out of the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship last November, Sadler took the lead with 25 laps left in Saturday’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 and held off hard-charging Brad Keselowski for the win.

The victory was Sadler’s first at PIR, the sixth of his career and his first in the Nationwide Series since 1998 at Rockingham, N.C.

Defending series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third, followed by rookie Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick, who dominated much of the race, leading 107 of 200 laps, but fell victim to pit strategy in the late going.

Rather than enjoy a sense of vindication at Phoenix, however, Sadler would prefer to forget what happened last year.

“Honestly, it feels like three or four years ago,” said Sadler, who leads the series standings by 10 points over second-place Dillon.

“Last year was last year, and, yes, it probably could have affected how the championship could have worked, but we’re on a whole new deal, a whole new season, a whole new outlook with a different team [with the sale of Harvick’s Nationwide operation to Richard Childress Racing], so, honestly, what happened here last year just felt like a long time ago.

“It did not weigh on my mind one second of the whole weekend I was here. I felt like, coming out of Daytona, leading the points with a third-place finish [Feb. 25], we just had a lot of momentum on our side ... I try not to dwell on what happened last year.

”I try to learn from what maybe I did wrong and apply it. But I’m trying to stay more focused on what we’re doing week-to-week this year.”

Keselowski took the lead from pole-sitter Denny Hamlin after a restart on Lap 168 but couldn’t hold it.

“We’re coming off four consecutive top-2s,” said Keselowski, who also finished second in the Feb. 25 Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona. “That’s pretty good. To come out of the gate and have two strong runs, that’s a lot to be proud of.

“I obviously wanted to get one more spot and pick up the win, but Elliott was a little stronger.”