Story by Michelle Hite ('88)

Sadler schools 'em

The Dukes team up with
NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler

NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler and Gov. Mark Warner field questions from television, print, and university media representatives at the Go Team VA press conference in Richmond on March 19.

THERE ARE SOME UNDENIABLE CHARACTERISTICS about sports fans in Virginia - they love their college teams and they love NASCAR. No one would have ever dreamed an oil and water combination like racing and college athletics. Leave it to Virginia native Hermie Sadler to school 'em.

Winston Cup driver Hermie Sadler has turned four of Virginia's fiercest university rivals into NASCAR teammates.

Sadler Motorsports, along with GO Team VA, has teamed up with JMU, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth to field university logo cars in six 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup races. JMU's GO Team VA Chevrolet Monte Carlo will debut in the Oct. 19 Old Dominion 500 at the Martinsville Speedway. The car's purple and gold paint scheme was designed by Scott Trobaugh ('98), a graphic designer in JMU's university advancement office.

Sadler, who also drives NASCAR's Busch Series Toys-  -Us car, says, "The fact that my younger brother attended JMU was certainly a factor in approaching JMU for the program. I visited JMU when Elliott was a student, and I loved it. The people at the school are nice, and Harrisonburg is full of great people and fans."

Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 38 Winston Cup M&M's car, was a basketball player under coach Lefty Driesell before injuring his knee and turning to racing.

"GO Team VA brings together Winston Cup and college athletics in a state that is crazy about both," Sadler said in a March news conference at the capitol with Gov. Mark Warner by his side. "I'm going to try equally hard in all four of these cars," laughed Sadler, surrounded by nearly 100 fans and administrators from Virginia's rival universities.

Intermittent chants of "Hokies" and "Go Dukes" peppered speeches by Sadler, Warner and Richmond International Raceway President Doug Fritz. "This is a proud day for my family," Sadler said. "I've represented Virginia tourism, the Virginia Lottery and now four of the finest schools in Virginia."

The Sadler Motorsports/university partnerships are polar opposites to Winston Cup's usual multi-million dollar corporate sponsorships. The sweet deals didn't cost Virginia's universities any money. Each school will supply program marketing and earn money on residuals and royalties from the sale of trademarked logo race car goods.

"In these challenging fiscal times, [Virginia schools] need all the help they can get," said Warner, a self-proclaimed NASCAR fan. The governor helped unveil each school's show car at the press conference. "Virginia and NASCAR have gone together forever," he

added. "Virginia hosts the largest number of Winston Cup events in any one state - six,

and this program allows our universities and students to learn more about sports marketing at the NASCAR level."

Get your JMU pit pass news and purchase diecasts, T-shirts, caps and jackets with the JMU Motorsports logo at www.goteam va.com and log in to participate in fantasy race games and prize giveaways. And next time you're catching up on racing news on the SPEED channel, check out John Roberts ('88), host of NASCAR's Victory Lane.

See ya at the track Oct. 19. Go Dukes!