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Elliott's Ford NASCAR Media Day Quotes

ELLIOTT SADLER – No. 19 Stanley Ford Fusion –

HOW DO YOU FEEL THINGS HAVE GONE WITH THE MERGER?

“I feel really good. I feel great about the merger. I feel great about being back in a Ford. I got one of the coolest phone calls last week. I got a call from Doug Yates telling me that he’s glad to be back on the same team and glad to have me driving his stuff again. I’m very excited about being a part of his program, especially for the Daytona 500, so he gave me a lot of confidence. The last two full seasons I was in a Ford we made the chase in one of them and finished 13th, I think, in the points in the other one. I run good in his stuff and I think I run good in the Ford brand, so there’s a lot of optimism going into this year, especially for the 500.”

DOUG PUTS A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON THIS RACE, SO YOU MUST FEEL YOU HAVE A SHOT AT THE POLE AND WINNING THE 500.

“I think we’re gonna be very good and very fast. I told Kasey and AJ and all my teammates, ‘You don’t have to worry about the engine part of it. When it comes to Doug Yates to get ready for this race.’ We’re gonna have everything we need to be competitive. We’ve gotten a lot of help from the other people in the Ford camp. We’ve leaned on Todd Parrott some to get ready for the Daytona 500 because he’s got a world of knowledge as far as speedway program stuff is concerned, so I’ve been bending his ear a little bit. I’m very optimistic. I think we’re gonna get started on a good note and put our best foot forward down here. Over the last eight or nine years, in the Daytona 500, I have the best average finish of any driver, too, so I’ve got a lot of confidence at this track and we should be good this weekend.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK OF LAST YEAR’S 500?

“Everyday. I was 15 seconds away from winning the Daytona 500, and with where I’m at in my career and where I’m at as far as my age and how long I’ve been a part of racing, it would have definitely been a life-changer if it had rained 15 seconds earlier. I was heartbroken that night and it’s been heartbreaking the last calendar year – 365 days – to have to relive it. It was a tough experience to let that get away from me.”