By STEVE BALLARD
The Indianapolis Star

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Elliott Sadler left the backwoods of Virginia six years ago in search of stock-car racing notoriety. Boy, did he find it.

Perhaps no driver goes into the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup season, which revs up this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, facing more scrutiny than the lanky Virginian with the slow drawl and quick smile.

Sadler, 27, is beginning his first season as a teammate to Dale Jarrett at Robert Yates Racing. But instead of celebrating the biggest opportunity of his young career, he is having to respond to unfounded criticism that he dumped the legendary Wood Brothers, stole Ricky Rudd's car and Ken Schrader's sponsor and showed up at the Yates shop declaring himself the second coming of Davey Allison.

"It has disappointed me a lot because I really don't think I did anything wrong," said Sadler, runner-up to Ward Burton in last year's Daytona 500. "I think I did things the right way with the Wood Brothers. I know better than anyone that without them, I wouldn't be standing here today.

"I've read some stories about how I'm such a bad guy. I tried to do everything as ethically as I could. If I hadn't taken this seat, somebody was going to."

In seeking to paint Sadler as the villain, critics forget he had asked for and received his release from the Wood Brothers - effective at the end of last season - before the Yates opening occurred. They forget the falling out of Rudd and Yates was strictly between them. They forget M&Ms went looking on its own for another team to sponsor. They forget the decision to switch the car's number from 28 to 38 was made by Yates. And they forget it was not Sadler but Doug Yates, Robert's brother and the team's general manager, who made the comparison to Allison. And it was meant only as a compliment to Sadler's energy and enthusiasm.

Though it might seem so at times, Sadler is not alone against the world. He has a number of allies, starting with his new teammate.

"Elliott's got a different way of looking at things. He's got this younger-guy attitude and I think that's going to be beneficial to us," Jarrett said. "Nothing against Ricky, it's hard to replace that kind of experience, but I think we're going to see that Elliott Sadler brings a lot to the table."

Whatever grudge Rudd might be carrying does not extend to Sadler. The two Virginians wound up swapping rides, with Rudd now toiling for the Wood Brothers. Through it all, they remained friends.

"I don't have anything against Elliott. He has a dream he's chasing and I think he feels he's found the right opportunity," Rudd said. "This is a tough business. I've been in it a long time, nearly 28 years now, so there are no hard feelings."

If boos await Sadler in driver introductions this season, so be it, he said. His mindset is to go out and win races and let the rest take care of itself. It's not idle chatter when he sets a goal to win a championship, not in a few years, but now. He is no stranger to long shots as an avid hunter and former high school basketball star.

He has been clipping news articles and hanging them in the office of crew chief Raymond Fox III for inspiration. He prefers the ones predicting he won't win a race or come close to being a factor in the points standings.

"My worst fear as a human being is failing as a race-car driver," he said. "This is my chance to shine. If it turns out I can't do it, I'll go look him (Robert Yates) in the eye and tell him I'm not the right man for the job."