SADLER STEPS FOURTH IN CHASE.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

When the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs start - and God willing they will again someday - hockey players have been known to ditch their razors until they are out of the playoffs.

When the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Chase for the Championship starts, Elliott Sadler ditches his scissors.

Actually, Sadler hasn't cut his hair for a few months now, well before the Chase for the Championship started. But he has also finished every race, stayed in the top 10, qualified for the Chase and even won the California Speedway event since his last haircut.

He said his barber-shop abandonment has nothing to do with his current streak of good finishes, but ...

``Also I'm a little, you know, superstitious, too,'' said Sadler, driver of the No. 38 Ford Taurus for Robert Yates Racing.

``A lot of good things have happened to me since I've gone on this strike as far as not cutting my hair. So I'm just kind of going to let it all play out right now.''

The top five drivers in the Chase for the Championship have won a combined four championships. Of course, all have been won by Jeff Gordon.

That's why Sadler said in a weekly teleconference that Gordon is the driver to beat as the Chase enters race five at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., on Sunday.

Kurt Busch leads the Chase, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. trailing by 29 points, or four points, depending on how his potty-mouth appeal goes.

With a fourth-place finish in the race at Kansas Speedway, Sadler made the biggest leap in the Chase, climbing four spots into fourth place and 143 points out of first.

But he is also 64 points behind Gordon for third place. If Sadler is going to stay in the championship hunt, he said he has a feeling he will be chasing Gordon all the way.

``Kurt Busch and Dale Jr. have won the same amount of championships I have,'' Sadler said. ``They might not know what's really to come the next five or six races. But Jeff Gordon has a lot of championship experience. I think his team understands what they need to do to win.''

If Sadler does make a run at the championship, teammate Dale Jarrett and crew chief Todd Parrott will undoubtedly be recognized for their extraordinary contributions.

``You know, I've got a great crew chief that's helping me,'' Sadler said. ``We're kind of out there having fun. We're having a great time; no pressure on us. We're just out there making laps. We'll try to get the win. If we don't, we'll try to do the best we can. Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage before the season comes to an end.''

The Kansas race was indicative of that philosophy. Even though he finished fourth, he was still the highest finishing driver in the Chase. That's why he was able to jump as many places as he did.

Sadler and Parrott gambled late in the race. When the leaders came in for gas and tires, they, along with a handful of other drivers with little to lose, decided to stay out and gain track position. It led to Joe Nemechek winning his first race of the year and Sadler landing in the top five.

``It ended up giving us a fourth-place finish, which is almost like a win to us,'' Sadler said. ``Because we outrun everybody else that was in the points race with us. That's the attitude we have.''

Even though Sadler makes the point that he has as many championships as Busch and Earnhardt Jr., Robert Yates Racing teammate Jarrett has been through the championship wars with Gordon and the Hendrick Motorsports behemoth. Jarrett spent a number of years chasing Gordon and, one magical year, actually beat him.

``He understands what the pressures are and has really just come forth and said, 'Look, if any question is on your mind, give me a call, let me know.' '' Sadler said. ``He thought he pretty much told me what I'll be thinking pretty much before I get to every race.''

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Photo:

Elliot Sadler (38) flips on the last lap just before the checkered flag in the EA Sports 500 on Oct. 3 at the Talladega Speedway.

Butch Dill/Associated Press