In the Draft: Dancing with the Lady in Black

This weekend is an off weekend for the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. Many of the drivers are taking short vacations and getting away from it all but not me. I'm headed to the track "Too Tough to Tame" to compete in the Camping World Truck Series event! I'm really excited to go to Darlington. The track has such a rich history and I'm hoping that I get to add to it this weekend.
In the past I've had a lot of success there both in the Cup and Nationwide series. I have several poles, top-five and top-10 finishes. I haven't been able to score a victory yet, but I'm hoping this weekend we can change all of that. I'm ready to slide back into the seat of the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado. The last time I drove the truck we narrowly missed the win at Daytona. As disappointing as that was, I couldn't think of a better guy to win that race than Michael Waltrip.

"Many of the drivers are taking short vacations and getting away from it all but not me. I'm headed to the track 'Too Tough to Tame. - ELLIOTT SADLER

Not only am I ready to get back to racing in the Truck Series, but Darlington also has one of the best restaurants on the planet. All of the locals know about Red Bone Alley Restaurant and Bar. It is a really cool place, with lots of room to sit and eat. The food is to die for. They have a lot of dishes that are native to the South Carolina culture and you cannot go away from there hungry. I always try to make a point to stop by and I know a lot of the crew members always make a point to carve out a night to head over there. It's not far from the track so if you get a chance, be sure to check it out.
Aside from eating at Red Bone Alley, I will also probably take some time to spend with my spotter Brett Griffin. His family is from nearby Pageland, S.C., and they always take good care of us when we are in town. I know Brett has several members from his family coming to the race so it will be fun to have them over to the motorhome one evening to listen to stories about old Brett Griffin growing up and reminisce about his time as a dancer. In case you didn't know, he was a break dancer when he was younger, so last week while we were in Las Vegas he attended the JabbaWockeeZ show. We got a good laugh after he got back about how skilled he says he was back in his hay day. I'm glad he decided to become a spotter though -- I can't imagine going to see his show!
After we spend time filling up on food and telling stories about old friends we will focus on the task at hand, which is figuring out the fastest way around the egg-shaped Darlington track. The No. 2 team has a little added pressure this weekend as we will be running the Armour Vienna Sausages blue and gold paint scheme. This paint scheme has gone undefeated since they have been a primary sponsor with Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI). Kevin Harvick has three wins in the colors, including his first Nationwide Series win for KHI at Bristol in 2009.
I'm really excited and I hope the magic of Armour can take us to Victory Lane for the first time this season. I hope everyone has an enjoyable week and if you are in the area, be sure to make your way down to Darlington Raceway to take in some exciting Truck Series action this weekend. Until next time, HOLLA!