Bill Elliott

William Clyde "Bill" Elliott ( born October 8, 1955 in Dawsonville, Georgia) is an American race car driver who selected races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup runs, and champion of the series of the year 1988.

NASCAR Career

Early years

Elliott earned his first start in the Winston Cup at the North Carolina Speedway in 1976, after he had previously qualified 34th of 36 riders. This race took him only 32 laps when the oil pump his Ford Torino turned out, earning him 640 U.S. dollars prize money. He struggled for five years without support from sponsors, but it showed that he certainly could compete with the established drivers themselves. So Elliott bought a Mercury Cougar in mid-1977 by Bobby Allison, who had separated from Penske Racing, which replaced his old Torino. This step should pay off. When Southern 500 of the 1977 season he managed a tenth place for the first time the leap into the top 10. Two years later it was also the Southern 500, where he finished second behind David Pearson.

Melling Racing

In the fall of 1980, Elliott secured his first major sponsor support in the form of U.S. $ 500 from Harry Melling of Melling Racing in the National 500 at Charlotte, North Carolina. However, Bill's father George was about to close the team after the Atlanta Journal 500 because of a missing main sponsor. The person you thought the last race of the car # 9 Elliott qualified the car on the outside- pole, ie the second on the grid. He still wore the advertising of Melling on the side, as the money was missing to paint over. During the race the clutch fell out, but Elliott finished the race in 18th place as Melling noted the effort of the team, he gave the team enough sponsorship support to be able to drive around twelve races in the 1981 season.

After a cautious 1981 season with a top -5 and seven top-10 results, including the first pole position of the team in the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500, Melling bought the team from George Elliott on December 1, 1981. Two years later won Elliott his first race in the Winston Cup at the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway in the final race of the season 1983. Subsequently, he received sponsorship support from the Coors Brewing Company.

1985 season

In the season 1985 Elliott scored eleven wins and eleven pole positions and won the first driver to the Winston Million in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway which, that is three of the four most important races of the season, which rewarded with a bonus of one million U.S. dollars been. This earned him the nickname " Million Dollar Bill " and " Awesome Bill From Dawsonville ". For winning the Winston Million was, among other things, his victory at the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Elliott finished the season second in the championship.

These events led to Elliott, the first NASCAR driver was, which was published on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

1987-1994

In the 1986 season Elliott was unable to repeat the successes of the previous season. With two wins and 16 top-10 results, including eight top 5 results, he finished the championship in fourth place. The following year it was better again, and with six wins and eight pole positions Elliott secured the vice-championship. For a stir but it provided a very different events: On the Talladega Superspeedway, he scored with an average speed of 212.809 mph, the highest ever measured with a speed touring car. His Ford Thunderbird was equipped to a built by Ernie Elliott motor.

In the 1988 season, Elliott won again six races with 22 top- 10 finishes, he secured his first and only championship. In the seasons 1989 and 1990, he was unable to repeat the success and finished sixth and fourth in the championship. After eight years, Elliott fell in 1991 for the first time out of the Top -10 of the championship, as he succeeded in only one win and twelve places in the top -10. The result was an eleventh place.

In 1992 he changed to the team of Junior Johnson. In the first year Elliott won five races and at the end was a second place in the championship. After two less successful years with only a single victory he left the team at the end of 1994.

Independent drivers and Evernham Racing

After getting off Johnson's team Elliott founded his own team, which existed from 1995 to 2000. However, he was so in all the years of unsuccessful and could not win a single race. So he sold the team to Ray Evernham and drove off the season 2001 Dodge Intrepid with the number 9 DC in qualifying for the season opener, the Daytona 500, Elliott secured the pole position. In the course of the season he won from pole position, the Pennzoil Freedom 400 at Homestead -Miami Speedway. This was his first victory since the Southern 500 of the season 1994. During the following two years he won more races at Pocono Raceway, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the North Carolina Speedway. At the season finale at Homestead -Miami Speedway Elliott led 189 of 267 laps and was only separated by a puncture on the last lap of victory that went to Bobby Labonte. A few weeks after his ninth place in the championship Elliott announced that he the # 9 return the car to Kasey Kahne and would permit only a single race in developing cars for Evernham.

In the 2004 season, Elliott was sitting in three races both at the wheel of Dodge Intrepid with the # 91 and the # 98 The background to the change of the car was established by sponsors obligations. Elliott's sponsor was Coca -Cola, Pepsi was Evernhams. According to Elliott was appointed as owner of car # 98, although he was actually rented by Evernham. Despite only six season starts he had some success with a ninth place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a second and third place at the Texas Motor Speedway or California Speedway.

In the 2005 season, Elliott was again selected races at the start. So he drove the Dodge Charger with the start number 39 for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Budweiser Shootout and the Dodge with the number 91 in some races for Evernham. Despite three starts more than the previous season, he had less success. The best result was an eleventh place on the Michigan International Speedway. In addition, Elliott went in selected races of the NASCAR Busch Series for Rusty Wallace at the start. On the Memphis Motorsports Park in Dodge he started with starting number 6 for Evernham.

For the 2006 season the Owner Points of the car went with the number 91 in the car with the number 10 of the new Evernham team and driver Scott Riggs her. Elliott announced on 4 January 2006, the Chevrolet Monte Carlo with the start number 36 to drive for MB2 Motorsports in Daytona Speedweeks. This included the Budweiser Shootout, the Gatorade Duel and the Daytona 500, in which Elliott had not competed since 2003. On 17 March 2006 it was announced that he would be driving the Chevrolet with the start number 00 for Michael Waltrip Racing in five Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, California Speedway and Homestead -Miami Speedway. In the course of the season then announced the team Red Bull that Elliott would drive three races for the team in preparation for entry into the Nextel Cup with Toyota in the 2007 season.

On 8 August 2006, was called by Evernham Motorsports that Elliott would drive for the race at Watkins Glen International the former Dodge the # 19 of Jeremy Mayfield. After the race in Indianapolis the car had fallen out of the Top -35 of the Owner Points and Mayfield was released. Evernham promised thereby guaranteed a starting place in the race due to Elliott's status as a former champion. Since the change was made ​​but after the date of the application, Elliott was not eligible for this scheme as specified by NASCAR.

For the race at the Kansas Speedway Elliott teamed up with R & J Racing and was at the wheel of the Dodge with the start number 37 A special feature of these cars contained a motor of his brother Ernie Elliott and the color scheme from the Melling - sponsored car of the year 1982. He finished the race with the Saisonbestmarke and 16th place, but could not qualify for the Bank of America 500 two weeks later in Charlotte itself.

2007

Elliott attempted to qualify for the Daytona 500, which he did not succeed. He then signed with Wood Brothers Racing for at least two races of the season the car with starting number 21 to drive. Background was the ability to qualify the car on the arrangements as a former champion.

His first race for the team was the Coca- Cola 600 at Lowe 's Motor Speedway. But this he had to call on any of the six maximum guaranteed starting places on the Former champion rule. The best result achieved Elliott with an eleventh place on the Michigan International Speedway.

NASCAR video games

In 1990, Konami launched the first officially licensed NASCAR game, Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge for MS -DOS on the market. It was published in 1991 for the NES and Amiga, as well as Bill Elliott's NASCAR Fast Tracks for the Game Boy.

Elliott appeared in most NASCAR games until the release of EA Sports ' NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup in 2004, when he announced his retirement half.

Team

  • Elliott Racing - 1976-1981 ( he also drove for Bill Champion and Roger Hamby )
  • Melling Racing - 1982-1991
  • Junior Johnson and Associates - 1992-1994
  • Elliott Hardy Racing - 1995
  • Bill Elliott Racing - 1996-2000
  • Evernham Motorsports - 2001-2006
  • Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates together - Budweiser Shootout 2005
  • MB2 Motorsports - Daytona Speedweeks 2006
  • Michael Waltrip Racing - 2006 (5 races)
  • Team Red Bull - 2006 ( Charlotte)
  • R & J Racing - 2006-2007
  • Wood Brothers / JTG Race Team - 2007

Won race

Winston / Nextel Cup (44 wins)

  • 2003 ( 1 win ) Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 ( Rockingham )
  • 2002 (2 wins) Pennsylvania 500 ( Pocono ), Brickyard 400 ( Indianapolis )
  • 2001 (1 win) Pennzoil Freedom 400 ( Homestead )
  • 1994 (1 win) Mountain Dew Southern 500 (Darlington )
  • 1992 ( 5 wins ) GM Goodwrench 500 ( Rockingham ), Pontiac Excitement 400 (Richmond ), Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 (Atlanta ), TranSouth 500 (Darlington ), Hooters 500 (Atlanta )
  • 1991 ( 1 win ), Pepsi 400 ( Daytona )
  • 1990 (1 win) Peak Antifreeze 500 ( Dover )
  • 1989 (3 wins) Miller High Life 400 (Michigan ), AC Spark Plug 500 ( Pocono ), Autoworks 500 ( Phoenix)
  • 1988 ( 6 wins ) Valleydale Meats 500 ( Bristol), Budweiser 500 ( Dover ), Pepsi Firecracker 400 ( Daytona ), AC Spark Plug 500 ( Pocono ), Southern 500 (Darlington ), Delaware 500 ( Dover ), Winston Cup Championship
  • 1987 ( 6 wins ) Daytona 500 ( Daytona ), Talladega 500 ( Talladega ), Champion Spark Plug 400 ( Michigan), Oakwood Homes 500 ( Charlotte ), AC Delco 500 ( Rockingham ), Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta )
  • 1986 (2 wins) Miller American 400 ( Michigan), Champion Spark Plug 400 ( Michigan)
  • 1985 ( 11 wins ) Daytona 500 ( Daytona ), Coca -Cola 500 (Atlanta ), TranSouth 500 (Darlington ), Winston 500 ( Talladega ), Budweiser 500 ( Dover ), Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 ( Pocono ), Miller 400 (Michigan ), Summer 500 ( Pocono ), Champion Spark plug 400 ( Michigan), Southern 500 (Darlington ), Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta )
  • 1984 ( 3 wins) Miller High Life 400 ( Michigan), Miller High Life 500 ( Charlotte ), Walter W. Hodgdon American 500 ( Rockingham )
  • 1983 (1 win) Winston Western 500 ( Riverside)

Busch Grand National Series ( 1 win )

International Race of Champions (2 wins )

Pictures of Bill Elliott

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