by Ryan McGee

Sun., Feb. 20, 1 p.m. ET Speedweeks TV schedule NASCAR on FOX schedule More NASCAR

One of the great guys in the garage finally got that nasty word "potential" off his back and got down to the business of contending last season. He earned more top-five finishes in the first 25 races of 2004 (seven) than he had in 177 starts before (six). He cruised into The Chase and rose as high as fourth in the standings before ending the year with a dismal final five races and falling to ninth. Still, not bad for a guy who had never finished higher than 20th.

The force behind Sadler's sudden surge is two-fold — the steady hand of veteran crew chief Todd Parrott as well as the friendship and guidance of his teammate down the hallway.

"Dale Jarrett has been such a huge part of my success over the last two seasons and has become a very good friend as well. I can't tell you how many times he has helped me when it comes to trying to get the car right or even just learning how to handle certain situations as a man. What we accomplished last season was absolutely because of his help."

Maybe Jarrett and Sadler should hold a "How To Get Along" seminar for other two-car teams in the Cup garage. (Rusty and Ryan, are you listening?)

Why He Will Finish 12th

Sadler's season will likely go one of two directions — solidly in the title hunt all season or stuck in the second division. It all depends on which Sadler decides to show up this summer. Will it be the guy who finished in the top-20 on 24 different occasions or the guy that finished 21st or worse during those dozen other starts? If he goes bipolar again, the Gods of The Chase likely won't be as kind as they were one year ago.

The All-Telling, All-Knowing Stat: 31

The number of races Sadler ran in 2004 before suffering his first and only DNF of the year. It came at Martinsville in the sixth race of The Chase and started a five-race stretch of finishing 32nd or worse. Going back to 2003, his DNF-less streak lasted a total 36 weekends.

Fantasy Lock: Darlington

Maybe it is all part of some Deep South good ol' boy vibe between the kid from South Boston, Va. and The Lady in Black, but Sadler has always run well on NASCAR's toughest track. In his last six Darlington starts, he has scored two top-five finishes and four top 10's, including a runner-up effort with the under-funded Wood Brothers team in March 2002.

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Ryan McGee is the managing editor at NASCAR Images and Senior Producer of NASCAR Nation on SPEED Channel. He can be reached at his e-mail address: rmcgee@foxsports.com.