Elliott Sadler piloted the #19 Racing in America Ford Fusion to its first top-10 finish of the year and crew chief Todd Parrott was named the NASCAR MOOG “Problem Solver of the Race” in Sunday’s Carfax 400 Sprint Cup contest at Michigan International Speedway.
The MOOG Problem Solver Award, sponsored by Federal-Mogul Corporation, is presented following each Sprint Cup race to the crew chief whose car posts the largest increase in average lap speed from the first half to the second half of the event while finishing on the lead lap. Sadler and the #19 Ford Fusion posted a race-best .153-second-per-lap increase in running with the race leaders before falling back to ninth in the closing laps.
Sadler, who qualified 23rd, displayed a promising combination of power and handling throughout the first 100 laps. Then, after track temperatures cooled slightly following a light rain, the #19 Ford made its move toward the front of the pack, with the MOOG-equipped chassis delivering a noticeable advantage in the corners. Sadler led briefly with just over 40 laps remaining.
Sadler’s best finish of the year came just two weeks after a frightening wreck at Pocono left the #19 car’s engine smoking on the track apron.
“Todd had the car’s MOOG steering and suspension components dialed in for the track conditions and earned a solid top-10 finish,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson.
“I got such good guys on this race team and they don’t give up,” Sadler said. “They bust their butts in the shop every week to give us the best possible car we can. Todd put a lot of emphasis on this car for this race and it showed today.”
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