Bill Elliott facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Elliott
Elliott in 2025
Born	William Clyde Elliott Sr. (1955-10-08) October 8, 1955 (age 69) Dawsonville, Georgia, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Achievements	1988 Winston Cup Series Champion 2× Daytona 500 Winner (1985, 1987) 3× Southern 500 Winner (1985, 1988, 1994) 1985 Winston 500 Winner 2002 Brickyard 400 Winner 1986 The Winston Winner 1987 Busch Clash Winner 4× Gatorade Twin 125 Winner (1985, 1986, 1992, 2000) 4× Daytona 500 Pole Winner (1985, 1986, 1987, 2001) Won record 11 superspeedway races in 1985 Led NASCAR Winston Cup Series in wins in 1985, 1988 (tie), and 1992 (tie) 7 wins at Michigan International Speedway (including 4 wins in a row 1985-1986) 6 Consecutive Poles at Talladega Superspeedway (1985-1987) Recorded the fastest qualifying speed in NASCAR history at 212.809 MPH for the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Awards	1984–1988, 1991–2000, 2002 Winston Cup Series Most Popular Driver (16 times) National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year (1985) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1998) Inaugural Inductee into Georgia Racing Hall of Fame (2002) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2007) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2015) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2015) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
828 races run over 37 years
2012 position	49th
Best finish	1st (1988)
First race	1976 Carolina 500 (Rockingham)
Last race	2012 Coke Zero 400 (Daytona)
First win	1983 Winston Western 500 (Riverside)
Last win	2003 Rockingham
Wins Top tens Poles 44 320 55
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
44 races run over 13 years
2018 position	64th
Best finish	29th (1993)
First race	1983 Mello Yello 300 (Charlotte)
Last race	2018 Johnsonville 180 (Road America)
First win	1993 Fay's 150 (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 16 2
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
2 races run over 2 years
Best finish	80th (1996)
First race	1996 Carquest 420K (Las Vegas)
Last race	1997 Carquest 420K (Las Vegas)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
Statistics current as of September 18, 2024.

William Clyde Elliott Sr. (born October 8, 1955) is a famous American former stock car racing driver. People know him by cool nicknames like "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" and "Million Dollar Bill". He last raced part-time in the Superstar Racing Experience in 2022.

Bill Elliott won the 1988 Winston Cup Championship. He also earned 44 wins in the top NASCAR series. These wins include big races like two Daytona 500s (in 1985 and 1987) and three Southern 500s. He also won the 1985 Winston 500 and the 2002 Brickyard 400.

Elliott set a NASCAR record by winning four races in a row at Michigan International Speedway in 1985 and 1986. He won seven times there in total, more than at any other track. He also won six special exhibition races, including the Winston All-Star Race in 1986.

Bill Elliott holds the record for the fastest qualifying speeds in NASCAR history. He reached 212.809 miles per hour (342.483 km/h) at Talladega and 210.364 miles per hour (338.548 km/h) at Daytona International Speedway. Both records were set in 1987. Because of safety changes, these speeds will likely never be broken.

In 1985, Elliott made history by winning the first-ever "Winston Million" bonus. This was a huge prize for winning three of NASCAR's four biggest races in one season. He won the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, and the Southern 500 that year. This amazing achievement earned him the nickname "Million Dollar Bill".

Elliott was voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver a record 16 times. This shows how much fans loved him. In 2005, his home state of Georgia even declared October 8 as "Bill Elliott Day". He is considered one of NASCAR's greatest drivers.

Bill Elliott was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. He is in many Halls of Fame, including the NASCAR Hall of Fame. His son, Chase Elliott, also became a NASCAR champion in 2020. They are one of only three father-son duos to win NASCAR championships.

Bill Elliott's Early Life

William Clyde Elliott was born in Dawsonville, Georgia, on October 8, 1955. His family had lived there for many generations. He was the youngest of three boys.

His father, George Elliott, owned a lumber company and loved racing. He later opened a speed shop where Bill's older brothers, Ernie and Dan, worked. George also started a Ford dealership in their area.

Bill Elliott has two daughters, Starr and Brittany, from his first marriage. With his current wife, Cindy, he has a son named William Clyde II, who everyone calls "Chase." Chase Elliott is also a successful NASCAR driver.

Bill Elliott's NASCAR Journey

Starting Out (1976-1981)

Bill Elliott began his Winston Cup Series career in 1976. He drove a car owned by his father. For five years, he raced without a big sponsor. But he showed everyone that he could compete with the best drivers.

In 1977, he bought a better car and soon earned his first top-10 finish. Two years later, he finished second in the Southern 500, a big race.

In 1980, Bill got his first major sponsor, Harry Melling. Melling bought the team in 1981. This helped Bill race more often. He even won his first pole position at Darlington Raceway.

First Wins and Big Success (1982-1984)

In 1982, Elliott came close to winning several races, finishing second three times. He finally broke through in 1983, winning his first Winston Cup race at Riverside International Raceway. This was after 115 starts and eight second-place finishes! He ended the 1983 season in third place overall.

In 1984, Elliott got a full sponsorship from Coors. He won three races that year and finished third in the points again. This was also the first year he won the "Most Popular Driver" award.

Elliott, after he won the Budweiser 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway in 1985

The Amazing 1985 Season: Winning the Winston Million

Before the 1985 season, NASCAR introduced the "Winston Million" challenge. A driver could win a $1 million bonus by winning three of NASCAR's four "crown jewel" races. These were the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, the World 600, and the Southern 500.

The 1985 season was Bill Elliott's best ever. He won 11 races and 11 pole positions. He also became the first driver to win the Winston Million! This is how he got his famous nicknames, "Million Dollar Bill" and "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville".

He started the season by winning the Daytona 500. Then he won the Winston 500 at Talladega after falling two laps behind and making an incredible comeback. He then won the Southern 500 at Darlington, securing the million-dollar bonus.

Even though he won 11 races, Bill Elliott finished second in the championship points that year. He had some bad luck late in the season. Still, his 11 wins on superspeedways in one season is a modern-era NASCAR record that still stands.

More Wins and Records (1986-1987)

In 1986, Elliott won both races at Michigan International Speedway. This made him the first driver to win four straight races at one superspeedway. He also won the special Winston All-Star Race at his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Bill Elliott's 1987 Daytona 500 Winning Ford Thunderbird, which also set the all-time fastest qualifying speed at Daytona International Speedway at 210.364 MPH, on display at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.

The 1987 season was another strong one. Elliott won his second Daytona 500. He also set the all-time fastest qualifying speed records at Daytona (210.364 miles per hour (338.548 km/h)) and Talladega (212.809 miles per hour (342.483 km/h)). These records are unlikely to be broken because NASCAR changed rules for safety after a big crash. Elliott finished second in the championship points again, battling Dale Earnhardt all year.

Winning the Championship (1988)

In 1988, Bill Elliott had an amazing season and won his first and only Winston Cup Championship. He won six races and had 16 top-10 finishes in a row. He never finished worse than 20th all season.

He won big races like the Southern 500 at Darlington and the Pepsi Firecracker 400 at Daytona. In the final race, he finished 11th to secure the championship by just 24 points.

Later Years with Melling and Junior Johnson (1989-1994)

After his championship, Elliott continued to win races, though not as many. In 1990, a tragic accident on pit road involving another car led to new safety rules for pit stops.

In 1992, Elliott joined Junior Johnson & Associates. He started strong, winning four races in a row! He led the points for much of the season. However, bad luck late in the year caused him to lose the championship by just 10 points in the final race. This was one of the closest championship battles in NASCAR history.

Elliott's 1994 Ford Thunderbird

In 1993, he won his only Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International. In 1994, he won his third Southern 500. This was his 40th career win and his last for over six years. After this season, he decided to start his own racing team.

Racing as a Driver and Owner (1995-2000)

From 1995 to 2000, Bill Elliott owned and drove his own car, the No. 94. He named the car number in honor of his nephew, Casey Elliott, who was battling cancer.

1997 racecar

He didn't win any races during this time, but he still had some strong finishes. He finished 8th in the championship points in 1995 and 1997. In 1997, he almost won the Daytona 500 and led many laps in the Southern 500. Even without wins, fans still voted him "Most Popular Driver" for 10 years in a row during this period.

Joining Evernham Motorsports (2001-2003)

In 2001, Elliott sold his team and joined Ray Evernham's new team, driving the No. 9 Dodge. He immediately won the pole position for the 2001 Daytona 500, his 50th career pole.

Bill Elliott's 2002 Dodge Dealers UAW Dodge Intrepid at Sonoma.

Later that year, he won his first race in seven years at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This ended a 226-race winless streak, which is the longest in NASCAR history between wins.

In 2002, Elliott had a fantastic year, winning two races back-to-back. He won at Pocono and then had a dominant victory at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was voted "Most Popular Driver" for the 16th and final time.

The 2003 season was Bill Elliott's last full-time year. He finished strong, with five top-5 finishes in the last 10 races. He won his 44th and final NASCAR race at Rockingham. He ended the season 9th in points, his best finish since 1997. After this, he decided to race only part-time.

Part-Time Racing (2004-2012)

From 2004 to 2012, Bill Elliott raced in a few events each year. He drove for different teams, including Evernham Motorsports and Wood Brothers Racing. He continued to show his skill, even getting a 9th-place finish at Indianapolis in 2004.

2008 Cup car at Daytona

In 2009, he made his 800th career start in the Sprint Cup Series, joining a small group of drivers to reach that milestone. His last NASCAR Cup Series start was in 2012 at Daytona.

Elliott racing at Road America in 2018

Elliott waves to fans during driver's introductions at Road America in 2018

In 2018, Elliott made a special return to racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America. He finished 20th and joked, "I feel like I hit everything but the lottery."

Superstar Racing Experience

In 2021, Bill Elliott was one of the full-time drivers in the first season of the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), a new racing series started by Tony Stewart. He finished third in one race and ended the season 9th in points. He also raced in two SRX events in 2022.

Bill Elliott in Video Games

In 1990, a company called Konami released the first official NASCAR video game. It was called Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge. This shows how popular Bill Elliott was, as he was chosen to be the face of NASCAR's first video game.

Bill Elliott's Legacy and Honors

Bill Elliott is known as one of the greatest and most respected racecar drivers in history. He won 44 NASCAR Cup Series races and 55 pole positions. He won seven of NASCAR's biggest "crown jewel" races, including two Daytona 500s and three Southern 500s. The only major race he didn't win was the World 600, where he finished second twice.

Most of Bill Elliott's success came with Melling Racing, working with his brothers Ernie and Dan. Together, they won 34 races, the Winston Million, and the 1988 championship.

Elliott set many NASCAR records that still stand today:

• Fastest qualifying speed at Daytona International Speedway: 210.364 MPH in 1987.
• Fastest qualifying speed at Talladega Superspeedway: 212.809 MPH in 1987.
• Most superspeedway wins in one modern-era season: 11 in 1985.
• Four consecutive wins at one superspeedway: Michigan (1985-1986).
• Four consecutive race wins in a season: 1992 (tied with others).
• Most career Daytona 500 poles: 4 (tied with others).
• Six consecutive pole positions at Talladega Superspeedway (1985-1987).
• Longest time between wins: 226 races (1994-2001).

In 1998, Bill Elliott was chosen as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He has been honored by being inducted into many Halls of Fame:

• Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1998)
• Georgia Racing Hall of Fame (2002)
• Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2007)
• National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2015)
• NASCAR Hall of Fame (2015)

The Dawsonville Pool Room, located at the address of "9 Bill Elliott Street S" in Dawsonville, GA.

His hometown of Dawsonville, Georgia, has honored him and his family in several ways:

• In 2005, October 8 (Bill's birthday) was named "Bill Elliott Day" in Georgia.
• A street in downtown Dawsonville was renamed "Bill Elliott Street." The famous Dawsonville Pool Room is on this street, where a siren traditionally sounds every time Bill (and now his son Chase) wins a race.
• A road in his home county was renamed "Elliott Family Parkway."

Images for kids

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  Bill Elliott's 1985 record setting Ford Thunderbird, on display at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega.

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  Bill Elliott's 1985 Southern 500 "Winston Million" winning Ford Thunderbird, on display at the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame at Darlington.

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  The Dawsonville Pool Room, located at the address of "9 Bill Elliott Street S" in Dawsonville, GA.

See also

In Spanish: Bill Elliott para niños