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Live From...

Interview With Elliott Sadler

Aired October 24, 2003 - 14:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: NASCAR Winston Cup drivers are among the fastest in the world with their super-charged rides reaching 200 miles per hour nearly every week. That is a terrifying speed for many of us, but not for Kyra Phillips who took a spin in a stock car last night with driver Elliott Sadler.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLIOT SADLER, WINSTON CUP DRIVER: She did great. She wanted to keep going. She's kind of upset at me right now that I didn't run fast enough and that I pulled in. So she's not real happy with me right now. I got to get some brownie points tomorrow with her.'

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Kyra is out of the car right now and joining us from the garage area. Are you saying this guy wimped out?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You know what? He talked about brownie points. Elliot has definitely earned major brownie points. All the engines are revving. He still managed to break away spend some time with us. Is that just the sound of freedom or what?

SADLER: That is unbelievable. That's 750 horsepower motors getting ready to go here In Atlanta. You can't beat that. Feel the adrenaline, just sitting here waiting for practice.

PHILLIPS: I felt the adrenaline yesterday when you took me for a ride. Take me through the motions -- 7-years-old, you started racing go carts. Tell me how it all started.

SADLER: It's pretty cool. My dad raced as I was growing up. My brother raced. I had three uncles that raced. I guess it's in the family.

I went my first time, 7-years-old. I flipped like eight times down the back straightaway. I didn't get hurt, but I broke my motor, started crying. Ever since -- I couldn't race any more that weekend. But ever since then, I just been on the fast lane, racing every single weekend, loving it, traveling all over the United States, having a ball. Feel fortunate to be 28, with one of the elite team in NASCAR Winston Cup racing, with Robert Yates, just living a dream, having a ball.

PHILLIPS: You have been living that dream. And you talk about flipping over on the go carts. You had two crashes in the past year, been on fire, flipped over. Yet, I'm sitting here with you, you're altogether, except for that knee injury from basketball. What keeps you going?

SADLER: I think just -- the blood, and wanting to race. It's all I've ever done my whole life. I don't have anything else. When I sit in that race car, I get in my office, put that window net up.

I have so much adrenaline and energy going, I think it just keeps you safe from everything. No matter how bad -- how hard you hit the wall, how many times you flip, nothing will replace that fir and desire to get in the race car and try and do the best you can.

PHILLIPS: Now when you took me in that race car, you were taking me up pretty close to the edge. Were you trying to get me a little nervous?

SADLER: No, I was trying to show you the real effects of how close we have to run to the wall, how close we have to run to the other car. You did a great job. You were upset we couldn't run any faster. That was the fastest they let us go. I think you did a great job. It was cool to see you smiling, hollering, cheering, the whole time. That was a lot of fun for me.

PHILLIPS: I got to tell you it is a blast. I got to feel what you go through.

The safety aspect, you did, you want to show me what you go through. In light of the death of Tony Renna, the Indy racer last week, and even Dale Earnhardt and all the other crashes that have taken place, safety what do you do about safety? Is that the first thing that goes through your mind once you strap in?

SADLER: Definitely, 100 percent. And ever since the death of Dale Earnhardt that has turned everybody's heads to work together. Competitionwise, we're not going to help teams that much, the people we race against. Safetywise, all the driver (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We all want to keep each other safe, be a part of the sport a long time. So we do everything we can.

NASCAR's really worked great with us hand-in-hand are to make sure they're leading us down the right road, to make sure we've got all the seat, helmets, fire uniforms, steering wheels, anything to keep us safe from a fire, hitting the wall, pulling 60 Gs as you hit the wall, even flipping down the back straightaway at Talledega. We've come a long way in there last two years. We've almost got it. I think everybody will be safe for a long time.

PHILLIPS: Sixty Gs. A lot more than a fighter jet.

SADLER: That's what I hit when I hit the wall at Kansas, a couple weeks ago, was 60 Gs in a head on hit. So my body felt that for a couple days. Sleeping on some ice packs and some things like that. But thank God, due to this safety equipment NASCAR mandates us to wear and put to -- every week, I'm able to talk to you today.

PHILLIPS: I understand you're one of the most available bachelors there. My producer, Sonya, who is actually working this hour, you know, she told me to say hello and I was hoping you'd give a little message to her.

SADLER: Sonya, I am. You need to come see us. You going to give her my number or something?

PHILLIPS: That's what I was thinking.

SADLER: That will be fine, we can do that. That's a great place to start.

PHILLIPS: Elliott Sadler, good luck this weekend, thanks for the ride. It was a blast.

SADLER: Thank you so much, appreciate you being here. Thanks a lot.

PHILLIPS: All right, Heidi, back to you. Boy, those engines, I don't didn't know if it can get any louder, my friend.

COLLINS: All right, I understand you probably can't hear me very well. CNN's LIVE FROM... now called "The Dating Game," I guess. All right. Kyra Phillips, thanks so very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 24, 2003 - 14:18   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: NASCAR Winston Cup drivers are among the fastest in the world with their super-charged rides reaching 200 miles per hour nearly every week. That is a terrifying speed for many of us, but not for Kyra Phillips who took a spin in a stock car last night with driver Elliott Sadler.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLIOT SADLER, WINSTON CUP DRIVER: She did great. She wanted to keep going. She's kind of upset at me right now that I didn't run fast enough and that I pulled in. So she's not real happy with me right now. I got to get some brownie points tomorrow with her.'

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Kyra is out of the car right now and joining us from the garage area. Are you saying this guy wimped out?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You know what? He talked about brownie points. Elliot has definitely earned major brownie points. All the engines are revving. He still managed to break away spend some time with us. Is that just the sound of freedom or what?

SADLER: That is unbelievable. That's 750 horsepower motors getting ready to go here In Atlanta. You can't beat that. Feel the adrenaline, just sitting here waiting for practice.

PHILLIPS: I felt the adrenaline yesterday when you took me for a ride. Take me through the motions -- 7-years-old, you started racing go carts. Tell me how it all started.

SADLER: It's pretty cool. My dad raced as I was growing up. My brother raced. I had three uncles that raced. I guess it's in the family.

I went my first time, 7-years-old. I flipped like eight times down the back straightaway. I didn't get hurt, but I broke my motor, started crying. Ever since -- I couldn't race any more that weekend. But ever since then, I just been on the fast lane, racing every single weekend, loving it, traveling all over the United States, having a ball. Feel fortunate to be 28, with one of the elite team in NASCAR Winston Cup racing, with Robert Yates, just living a dream, having a ball.

PHILLIPS: You have been living that dream. And you talk about flipping over on the go carts. You had two crashes in the past year, been on fire, flipped over. Yet, I'm sitting here with you, you're altogether, except for that knee injury from basketball. What keeps you going?

SADLER: I think just -- the blood, and wanting to race. It's all I've ever done my whole life. I don't have anything else. When I sit in that race car, I get in my office, put that window net up.

I have so much adrenaline and energy going, I think it just keeps you safe from everything. No matter how bad -- how hard you hit the wall, how many times you flip, nothing will replace that fir and desire to get in the race car and try and do the best you can.

PHILLIPS: Now when you took me in that race car, you were taking me up pretty close to the edge. Were you trying to get me a little nervous?

SADLER: No, I was trying to show you the real effects of how close we have to run to the wall, how close we have to run to the other car. You did a great job. You were upset we couldn't run any faster. That was the fastest they let us go. I think you did a great job. It was cool to see you smiling, hollering, cheering, the whole time. That was a lot of fun for me.

PHILLIPS: I got to tell you it is a blast. I got to feel what you go through.

The safety aspect, you did, you want to show me what you go through. In light of the death of Tony Renna, the Indy racer last week, and even Dale Earnhardt and all the other crashes that have taken place, safety what do you do about safety? Is that the first thing that goes through your mind once you strap in?

SADLER: Definitely, 100 percent. And ever since the death of Dale Earnhardt that has turned everybody's heads to work together. Competitionwise, we're not going to help teams that much, the people we race against. Safetywise, all the driver (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We all want to keep each other safe, be a part of the sport a long time. So we do everything we can.

NASCAR's really worked great with us hand-in-hand are to make sure they're leading us down the right road, to make sure we've got all the seat, helmets, fire uniforms, steering wheels, anything to keep us safe from a fire, hitting the wall, pulling 60 Gs as you hit the wall, even flipping down the back straightaway at Talledega. We've come a long way in there last two years. We've almost got it. I think everybody will be safe for a long time.

PHILLIPS: Sixty Gs. A lot more than a fighter jet.

SADLER: That's what I hit when I hit the wall at Kansas, a couple weeks ago, was 60 Gs in a head on hit. So my body felt that for a couple days. Sleeping on some ice packs and some things like that. But thank God, due to this safety equipment NASCAR mandates us to wear and put to -- every week, I'm able to talk to you today.

PHILLIPS: I understand you're one of the most available bachelors there. My producer, Sonya, who is actually working this hour, you know, she told me to say hello and I was hoping you'd give a little message to her.

SADLER: Sonya, I am. You need to come see us. You going to give her my number or something?

PHILLIPS: That's what I was thinking.

SADLER: That will be fine, we can do that. That's a great place to start.

PHILLIPS: Elliott Sadler, good luck this weekend, thanks for the ride. It was a blast.

SADLER: Thank you so much, appreciate you being here. Thanks a lot.

PHILLIPS: All right, Heidi, back to you. Boy, those engines, I don't didn't know if it can get any louder, my friend.

COLLINS: All right, I understand you probably can't hear me very well. CNN's LIVE FROM... now called "The Dating Game," I guess. All right. Kyra Phillips, thanks so very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com