Sadler

It was back in 1992 when Hermie Sadler first climbed behind the wheel of a NASCAR Busch Grand National car, the oldest of two racing brothers from Emporia, Va., with designs on stock car racing stardom.

More than a decade later, Sadler has only a couple wins -- but he also has a better understanding of what matters most in his world and a seasoned appreciation of how lucky he is to have a chance to restart his career.

"I feel like I'm a rookie all over again,'' the 32-year-old driver for team owner Rick Goodwin's Toys 'R' Us Busch car said in an interview.

Rookies don't often come with Sadler's kind of perspective.

In February 2000, his then-2-year-old daughter, Halie Dru, was diagnosed with autism. Sadler and his wife began learning about the disorder, working with the Autism Society of America to raise money and awareness, and trying to ensure the best care possible for Halie Dru.

They eventually enrolled her in the Faison School for Autism in Richmond, Va., where she receives specialized attention. Halie Dru, now 4, is in her second year there, hoping to begin kindergarten next year.

"She's doing great, making wonderful progress,'' Sadler said. "Her vocabulary's growing every day and she's doing much better socially. We can literally see progress from week-to-week, sometimes day-to-day.''

Halie Dru's improvement allowed Sadler to get back into racing full time, trying to re-energize a career that started impressively with Busch victories in 1993 and 1994, his first two full seasons as a driver.

Sadler's reason for being away made him an easy hire for Goodwin.

"What he did for his daughter showed the man in Hermie,'' Goodwin said. "Hermie's awesome. He's a very talented driver and a great human being.''

The team is a work in progress. It had just one car when it went to Daytona for the season-opening race, is slowly building up an inventory and using the first half of the season to get ready for a big finish.

"We're still right now running 2002 cars, but the goal is by midseason to have most of our new stuff done and ready to challenge for top-fives and top-10s,'' Sadler said. ``Right now, we just don't have the equipment.''

It's the kind of situation many established drivers would loathe, but one Sadler's life experiences -- and failures -- have prepared him for.

And as Goodwin is quick to point out, the team hasn't exactly been floundering in the early part of the season, despite its disadvantages.

At Bristol Motor Speedway last month, Sadler had one of the fastest cars in practice before the engine blew, forcing him to start 43rd in the race. There, he'd worked his way up to fourth when his car hit some debris on the track, causing his oil line to drag and eventually rupture.

He inevitably spun out in his own oil, finishing 29th. Overall, his team is 23rd in the points race after eight of 34 races and coming off a season-best 19th-place run Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway.

"We should be finishing a lot better than we've been finishing,'' Goodwin said this week. "Lady luck often plays a big role in the game.''

Sadler once was the most accomplished racer in the family, handing down his go-karts and other cars to his brother, Elliott. Now, Elliott drives for Robert Yates Racing, one of the highest profile rides in NASCAR.

Hermie Sadler, though, is happy just to be back in the chase, and said perspective helps minimize the pressure to make good on his opportunity.

"When you look at the big picture, the struggles that I've had on the race track don't amount to a hill of beans,'' he said.

"I've experienced too much stuff'' to let this be nerve-racking. ``It's more excitement and anticipation and wanting to get out there and do it.

"I've been through everything there is to go through.''

And he's gotten lots of motivation from the less-sensitive set.

"People would say, 'Haven't you had enough of this?' he said.

"But that's part of the territory being in a business that's high profile. If I was just working at a car dealership, nobody would care if I had a good day or bad day.''

Right now, they are all good days. With his daughter doing well and a team that is coming together, Sadler's last chance is starting strong.

And that's a good thing, he said, for reasons obvious and otherwise.

"Quite frankly, I don't think I'm ready, willing or able to go through all that again to get back to this point,'' he said of starting over.

"I need to do well, and if I do well, it will all be worthwhile and if I don't do so well, maybe it wasn't meant to be. We'll see what happens."