After three-and-a-half seasons with Robert Yates Racing, Sadler joined forces with Gillett Evernham Motorsports as the driver of the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger. He took the wheel of his new ride at Michigan in August for the final 14 races with his new team.
Sadler and his new team got off to an impressive start at Michigan by qualifying on the outside pole and finished 10th in the No. 19 Dodge. He ended up with two top-10 finishes, but more importantly, the team cleared the transition hurdle and appears primed for a solid 2008 season.
Sadler provided plenty of feedback to his team, information that also proved valuable for teammates Kasey Kahne and Patrick Carpentier. As a result, all three Gillett Evernham Motorsports teams enter the 2008 season using the same baseline setup in the racecars.
The 2008 season marks the tenth year Sadler will compete in the Sprint Cup Series. His success is no surprise to those who knew him during his youth in his Virginia hometown of Emporia. As the youngest of Herman and Bell Sadler's three children, Sadler joined a family whose time was spent traveling the short-track circuit of Virginia.
The Sadler family began their involvement in racing nearly 45 years ago. Bud Elliott, Sadler's uncle for which he was named, and father Herman Sadler, along with their brothers, raced on the short tracks of Virginia long before the young Sadler was born. It was here where, just as his father and uncle before him, Sadler received his training on the short tracks of his home state.
Climbing behind the wheel of his first go-kart at age seven, Sadler captured over 200 victories before moving on to the heavier stock cars. At the age of 18, Sadler joined the ranks of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, claiming a track championship title at South Boston Speedway in 1995. His success served as a stepping-stone to the NASCAR Nationwide Series when he caught the eye of team owner Gary Bechtel. Bechtel tabbed the young driver to pilot his car in a full-season Nationwide Series effort in 1997.
Sadler wasted no time in proving his ability. The rookie driver captured the pole for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. Thirteen starts are all Sadler would need to capture his first career Nationwide Series win at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway. Sadler rounded out his rookie year with three more poles and victories at Myrtle Beach Speedway and Gateway International Raceway. He finished the year an impressive fifth in the Nationwide Series point standings. Sadler scored two more Nationwide Series wins in 1998 (Bristol Motor Speedway and North Carolina Speedway), in what would be his final season as a full-time Nationwide Series driver.
In 1999, the legendary Wood Brothers, also native to Virginia, looked no further than their own backyard to find the driver for their No. 21 entry and signed Sadler to his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride. Their first victory together came in 2001 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Sadler's 75th career start. The win in "Thunder Valley" was monumental for two reasons. First, Sadler started deep in the field in the 38th spot. More importantly, it returned the Wood Brothers to victory lane for the first time since 1993.
After four seasons, Sadler and the Wood Brothers parted ways and the Virginia native headed for Robert Yates Racing (RYR). Sadler had two Bud Poles (Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway) in 2003 with his No. 38 team. He completed the year with two top-five and nine top-10 finishes which earned him a 22nd-place finish in the season point standings. Energy was infused into Sadler's team with personnel changes during the off-season, setting the stage for Sadler's most successful season to date.
His 2004 season proved to be a breakout one as the Virginia native surprised many in the garage area. Sadler struck early at the season opening event as Daytona International Speedway by winning the outside pole for the Daytona 500. Later in Speedweek, he won in the Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying event that gave primary sponsor M&M's their first ever trip to Victory Lane.
Success was sweet and continued throughout the season as Sadler saw more of the same with an emotional win at Texas Motor Speedway. Later in the season Sadler scored his third career victory at California Speedway, clinching a position in the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship. Sadler was one of four drivers to stay in the top 10 in the point standings the entire season and rounded out the year with two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He finished ninth in the final standings.
In 2005, Sadler was strong out of the gate. He stayed in the top five in the point standings throughout the first half of the season. However, late season difficulties plagued the No. 38 team as they narrowly missed qualifying for their second Chase for the Championship. Sadler was 11th in points after the cutoff race at Richmond International Raceway in September. Still, there were several highlights for Sadler in 2005 as he clinched four pole positions including the starting spot at the prestigious Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
After three and a half seasons with RYR, Sadler made the move to Gillett Evernham Motorsports in August of 2006.