Elliott Sadler Breaks Retirement to Make Modified Racing Debut in March 21 King Of the Modifieds Race at South Boston Speedway

Former NASCAR Star, 1995 SBS champion to drive for Sadler-Stanley Racing in 125-lap race paying $20,000 to win

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (February 24, 2026) – It has been almost seven years since Elliott Sadler last climbed behind the wheel of a racecar in competition. The former South Boston Speedway champion and NASCAR star will soon break out of his retirement from racing, strap on his helmet and compete in a form of racing he has never experienced before.

The Emporia, Virginia native will make his Modified racing debut and break a six-plus year hiatus to compete in the Third Annual Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds powered by Dominion Energy on Saturday afternoon, March 21 at South Boston Speedway. The race is the headline race of South Boston Speedway’s season-opening URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day event. Three races are scheduled for the season-opening event with the first race starting at 2 p.m.

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Sadler, who has won races in each of NASCAR’s top three national series and is a four-time winner of the Most Popular Driver Award in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, will drive a Modified for Sadler-Stanley Racing which is co-owned by his brother, former NASCAR standout Hermie Sadler, and Senator Bill Stanley.

The car will carry the number 16 and colors resembling the ones fans remember seeing when Sadler won the 1995 NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division crown at South Boston Speedway.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to get back in a race car after being retired for five or six years and being in a race for my brother in a Modified that I have never driven before,” Elliott Sadler said. “I’ve never driven a modified so that’s pretty cool.”

The Third Annual Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds powered by Dominion Energy at South Boston Speedway will be a homecoming of sorts for Sadler as the race brings him back to where he first became involved in racing and created a special chapter in his racing career.

Sadler won 11 regular-season races at South Boston Speedway enroute to winning the track’s NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division championship. His last NASCAR race at South Boston Speedway was a NASCAR Busch Series race on July 25, 1999.

“This (racing a Modified) is something new, and I’m also going back to where it all started,” Sadler pointed out. “I’m going back home where I grew up watching my uncles race. Then, I was on my brother’s pit crew, and later I won the track championship.

“South Boston Speedway has a lot of memories with my family, so this is only natural that we go back there for my first ever Modified race. I’m looking forward to being there and maybe eating a few bologna burgers along the way.”

Elliott Sadler’s return to competition is significant in that it both unites the Sadler brothers in a family-oriented racing effort and fits comfortably within the racing team’s plans for the 2026 season.

“As a co-team owner, this fits right into what our mission is this year with the 16 VA – put different drivers in the car that benefit our team and our sponsors and at the same time, draw some attention to the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic,” Hermie Sadler said. “But more importantly as a brother, I am excited to see Elliott back on the track, especially at South Boston Speedway, a place where he has so much history and a place that helped catapult him to a long and successful NASCAR career. I wasn’t sure we would ever see this, so I am going to enjoy it, and I hope the fans will pack the Elliott Sadler Grandstand at the track and enjoy it too.”

Senator Stanley is looking forward to seeing the former NASCAR star back in action.

"Nothing is better for Southside Virginia racing than having Elliott Sadler back behind the wheel at South Boston Speedway,” he remarked. “Ever since Hermie and I started Sadler-Stanley Racing, we have always wanted Elliott to run in one of our cars. Finally, that day is near, and I cannot wait to see Elliott run for the checkers at the SMART Tour's King of the Modified Race this spring."

Having Elliott Sadler return to competition at South Boston Speedway where he has a track championship and 11 career wins including a six-race win streak under his belt is exciting for everyone at South Boston Speedway.

“We're incredibly excited to have Elliott Sadler racing with us here in the King of the Modifieds,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Brandon Brown. “If you know Elliott, you know his passion and competitiveness. The Sadler name is synonymous with South Boston Speedway, and we can't wait for Elliott and Hermie to write another chapter in our history book on March 21.”

The Third Annual Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds powered by Dominion Energy on Saturday afternoon, March 21 at South Boston Speedway will have Sadler joining an elite field of Modified drivers that battle it out in a 125-lap race that will pay $20,000 to win.

Previous winners of the event are Luke Baldwin who won the inaugural event in 2024 driving for Sadler-Stanley Racing and Matt Hirschman who won last year’s event.

In addition to the Third Annual Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds powered by Dominion Energy fans will see a 100-lap race for South Boston Speedway’s Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division and a 35-lap race for the members of the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club as part of the track’s season-opening URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day event.

Advance tickets are priced at $20 each. Tickets at the gate on race day will be $25 each. Seniors age 65 and older, military, healthcare workers and students (with ID) can purchase tickets at the advance ticket price at the gate only on the day of the event.

Grandstand gates will open at 9 a.m. for the season-opening URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day event. The first of the day’s three races will get the green flag at 2 p.m.