Sadler to Take Over No. 19 at Michigan

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Elliott Sadler will take over the No. 19 Dodge at Evernham Motorsports beginning with this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway, a team official confirmed to The Associated Press.
Sadler secured an early release from Robert Yates Racing late Tuesday evening, clearing the way for him to replace Jeremy Mayfield beginning Sunday, according an Evernham official who spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not yet been made.
Sadler, who asked out of his contract at Yates in July, had been predicted to join Evernham's three-car team in 2007. But when Evernham fired Mayfield last week, Sadler and the car owner worked to get him into the No. 19 immediately. The paperwork was finalized Tuesday night, and Sadler was set to test the car at Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday.
He'll drive the final 14 races of the season for Evernham to get a jump on next season. Sadler was a 2004 Chase for the championship contender, but has fallen on hard times with the entire Yates organization.
David Gilliland, meanwhile, tested Sadler's old Yates car at Kentucky and was poised to fill the seat in that ride beginning with Sunday's race in Michigan. Gilliland exploded onto the NASCAR scene in June when he won the Busch Series race at Kentucky while driving for an underfunded team.
It's not clear if Gilliland will drive the rest of the Cup schedule for Yates. NASCAR has yet to clear him to race at Talladega Superspeedway, and running in more than seven events this season would make him ineligible to compete for rookie of the year in 2007.
That's where Mayfield could come in. Although he's expected to sign with Bill Davis Racing for the 2007 season, he could drive a handful of races for Yates while the team prepares for Gilliland to take over the ride permanently next year.
Mayfield was fired last week in the midst of a tumultuous season with Evernham. Although he was a two-time qualifier for the Chase for the championship, he had a miserable year and had been extremely critical of the car owner because of it.
He dropped to 36th in the points before he was fired, and was replaced with Bill Elliott last week at the road course in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

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