Following GEM's announcement that Sadler will continue as official driver of the No 19 Dodge, the Emporia-based driver revealed that one reason why he wanted the seat so badly was the pressure from his sponsors. He insisted that it was nothing personal between him and GEM and that he had little control over the decision to threaten the team with a lawsuit.
“They were looking to see what their options were ... they were very up front with me, they gave me a lot of information to work with. I can sit here and tell you and be very honest with you when it comes to contract and language and stuff that are on them, I'm not the smartest guy in the world. When you're dealing with as many people as we are dealing with, it became bigger than Elliott Sadler,” said the No 19 Dodge driver.
“We've all been a part of this business long enough to know that performance is the bottom line. We sat down in meetings, some good and some bad, but at the end of the day someone has to be held accountable for what we put on the track each and every Sunday”, added Sadler.
He insisted this conflict has only made him stronger when approaching the new Sprint Cup campaign, as he reckons he will have to up his game in order to retaining the GEM racing seat.
“It was definitely tough, but it made me better and made us a stronger family having this fight. Man, now we feel like our back is against the wall. We have a lot of motivation and a lot to prove. That is why we are so eager to get this season started,” concluded Sadler.
Sadler ranked 24th overall in last year's Sprint Cup classification, making only two Top 5 appearances and scoring 8 Top 10 finishes in 36 starts.
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