Elliott Sadler has had a long career in racing. He’s one of the most popular drivers in America. But, we’ve never known him off the track as well as we do now, thanks to Amazing America with Sarah Palin. The last episode of the new Sportsman Channel show featured a day in the life of Sadler off the track. We quickly find out that he moves just as fast when he’s in his own backyard as he does on the NASCAR circuit.
Sarah Palin sends field host Benny Spies to hang out with Sadler for an afternoon, and for his trouble, Spies got a day of non-stop action. The guys met up at Sadler’s home in Virginia but they immediately took to the outdoors. As Spies puts it, “We’re driving trucks and we’re shooting bucks.” That only tells part of the story.
Sadler takes Spies on a unique hunt. Sadler’s style for the sport is the same as his approach behind the wheel—go, go, go! Sadler uses dozens of trained dogs to flush deer out of the woods. Meantime, hunters line the perimeter in trucks while others head in closer to get the deer moving out.
Sadler, Spies, and some of the dogs head down the road in one of the trucks. Sadler’s love for the dogs is evident and so is his love for hunting. The sophisticated operation includes not just men, dogs, guns, and trucks, but walkie talkies and even GPS systems to keep track of the dogs. Sadler’s been hunting like this since he was a child.
“Hunting traditions are passed down from generation to generation,” said Palin. “Every family has their own depending on what they hunt and what part of the country they hunt in. In our family having a moose hunt without s’mores would be criminal.”
After leaving one spot for a better one, Sadler shows he has the same need for speed when driving a truck as he does when racing a stock car. When asked how fast he was going at one point, Sadler quipped: “I don’t think I ever look down, man.”
Despite having so many dogs, Sadler knows all of their names and admittedly thinks of them as his “kids.” He shows great compassion for his four-legged hunting buddies.
After “hunting hard” as they put it, Sadler and Spies came up short on the trip, but they had a lot of fun anyway. So what would be a better way to top off their time together than shooting off a few rounds?
The guys bet ten dollars and fired their rifles at a target. Spies pulled off the upset win in a very close competition. The wily Sadler, however, got his revenge on “Bullseye Benny.” Sadler took it to Spies in a drag race of souped-up cammo golf carts.
After exchanging some friendly trash talking and plenty of compliments the guys put a cap on their Red, Wild, and Blue day. “God Bless America,” Spies said. “You can’t end a show better than that.”
“Buck or no buck, that was an epic exercise in outdoorsmanship,” Palin said. “The traditional ties that bind generations in a family are the same ties that connect us all here in America.”
While Elliott Sadler races as his vocation, others race for a higher power. The second part of the latest episode of Amazing America with Sarah Palin introduces us to “Faster Pastor,” an event in which local clergy gather and race to raise money for renovations to an old racetrack. Field host Mark Christopher Lawrence heads to Tennessee where he meets up with Roger Cunningham, the founder of “Faster Pastor.”
Sixteen pastors agreed to be part of the program. Their events draw crowds and raise funds. Lawrence gets to chat with the pastors participating before they take to the track and then he takes in the latest running of the big race.
Lawrence’s funny play-by-play and the enthusiasm of the novice drivers are equally enjoyable.
Jason Pennington, a youth pastor winds up winning and walking away with the hardware and bragging rights. In the end though, everyone is a winner as this fun event helps to drum up a support for a worthy cause.
“So tell me, where do you find everyday citizens taking back their community and pastors reliving the pages of history but this time for a great cause?” asked Palin. “I guess the same place you find a NASCAR legend who is keeping his family’s hunting legacy alive. A place where history, legacy, and doing things for the right reasons always rules the day. America. Our amazing America.”
Amazing America with Sarah Palin is a true delight week after week. It airs Thursdays at 8pm ET on Sportsman Channel.
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