Bill Elliott facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Elliott
Elliott at Richmond Raceway in 2017
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 1985, 1987 Daytona 500 Winner 2002 Brickyard 400 Winner 1985, 1988, 1994 Southern 500 Winner 1985 Winston 500 Winner 1986 The Winston Winner 1987 Busch Clash Winner 1985, 1986, 1992, 2000 Gatorade Twin 125 Winner 1985, 1986, 1987, 2001 Daytona 500 Pole Winner 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 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 (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", "Million Dollar Bill", and "Wild Bill". He last raced part-time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience in 2022.

Bill Elliott won the 1988 Winston Cup Championship. He also won 44 races in the top NASCAR series. These wins include two Daytona 500 victories (in 1985 and 1987) and three Southern 500 victories (1985, 1988, and 1994). He also won the Winston 500 in 1985 and the Brickyard 400 in 2002.

He holds the record for the fastest qualifying speed in NASCAR history. This was at Talladega at 212.809 miles per hour (342.483 km/h) in 1987. He also set a record at Daytona International Speedway at 210.364 miles per hour (338.548 km/h) in the same year. Because of safety changes, these records are unlikely to be broken.

In 1985, Bill Elliott made history by winning the first-ever "Winston Million" bonus. This was a huge prize of one million dollars 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." He also won a record 11 superspeedway races in 1985.

Bill Elliott was voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award 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 and 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.

About Bill Elliott's 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.

Bill Elliott has two daughters, Starr and Brittany, and one son, William Clyde II, who everyone calls "Chase." Chase Elliott is also a successful NASCAR driver. He won the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship and the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship. Brittany Elliott joined the U.S. Air Force Security Forces.

Bill Elliott's NASCAR Journey

Starting His Racing Career

Bill Elliott began his Winston Cup Series journey in 1976, driving a car owned by his father, George Elliott. He raced for five years without a main sponsor. Still, he showed he could compete with the best drivers. In 1977, he bought a better car and soon earned his first top-10 finish in the Southern 500. Two years later, he finished second in the same race.

In 1980, Bill got his first big sponsor, Harry Melling of Melling Racing. This helped his team race more often. In 1981, he had seven top-10 finishes and earned his first pole position (starting first) at Darlington.

Melling Racing: The Early Years

In 1981, Harry Melling bought the team from Bill's father. In 1982, Bill Elliott kept getting closer to winning. He had eight top-5 finishes, including three second-place finishes.

Finally, in 1983, after 115 races, Bill Elliott won his first Winston Cup race! It was the last race of the season, the Winston Western 500 at Riverside. With his first win and many top finishes, he ended the 1983 season in third place in the championship.

In 1984, Bill got a full sponsorship from Coors. He won three races and four pole positions. For the first time, he also won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award. He would win this award for five years in a row!

The Amazing 1985 Season: Winning the Winston Million

Before the 1985 season, NASCAR introduced the "Winston Million" challenge. A driver could win one million dollars by winning three of NASCAR's four "crown jewel" races in one year. These races were the Daytona 500, the Winston 500 at Talladega, the World 600 at Charlotte, and the Southern 500 at Darlington.

The 1985 season was Bill Elliott's best ever. He won 11 races and 11 pole positions out of 28 races. He also won the first-ever Winston Million at the Southern 500 at Darlington. This is how he got his famous nicknames, "Million Dollar Bill" and "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville."

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

He started 1985 with a big win at the Daytona 500, leading most of the race. This was the first step towards the Winston Million. He then won at Atlanta and Darlington. At the Winston 500 at Talladega, he made an incredible comeback after falling two laps behind due to a problem. He caught up and won, guaranteeing himself at least $100,000 from the Winston Million prize.

He continued his winning streak at Dover, even though his car lost power steering! He had a chance to win the million dollars at the World 600, but mechanical issues stopped him.

Bill Elliott's 1985 record-setting Ford Thunderbird, which set the fastest qualifying time at 209.398 MPH for the 1985 Winston 500.

After that, Bill went on a winning spree in the summer, winning back-to-back races at Pocono and Michigan. He also set a NASCAR record by winning five pole positions in a row.

Bill Elliott's 1985 Southern 500 "Winston Million" winning Ford Thunderbird.

The final chance for the Winston Million was the Southern 500 at Darlington. Many media outlets came to watch. Bill had to fight off tough competitors like Harry Gant and Dale Earnhardt. He led 100 laps and won the race, claiming the first-ever Winston Million bonus! This was the biggest prize in motorsports history at the time. After the race, he was showered with "Million Dollar Bills" and became the second NASCAR driver to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Despite his amazing wins, Bill Elliott lost the championship lead late in the season due to some bad finishes. He ended up finishing second in the points, just behind Darrell Waltrip. Still, 1985 was a historic year for him, with 11 superspeedway wins and four "season sweeps" (winning both races at the same track in a season). He was named the National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year.

The 1986 and 1987 Seasons

In 1986, Bill Elliott won two races, both at Michigan. By winning both races there, he became the first driver to win four straight superspeedway races at one track. He also won the 1986 "The Winston All-Star Race" at his home track, Atlanta.

In 1987, Bill won six races, including his second Daytona 500. He also won eight pole positions and finished second in the championship again, this time to Dale Earnhardt. They had a fierce rivalry that year, winning 17 of 29 races between them.

Bill Elliott's biggest achievement in 1987 was setting two NASCAR qualifying speed records that still stand today. He reached 210.364 mph (338.548 km/h) at Daytona and an incredible 212.809 mph (342.483 km/h) at Talladega. These speeds were so fast that after a big crash at Talladega, NASCAR made new rules requiring "restrictor plates" to slow the cars down. This means Bill's speed records will likely never be broken.

Bill Elliott's 1987 Daytona 500 Winning Ford Thunderbird.

Winning the 1988 Championship

In 1988, Bill Elliott had one of his best seasons, winning his first and only Winston Cup Championship. He won six races and six pole positions. He also had an amazing streak of 16 top-10 finishes in a row.

He won at Bristol after being spun out, and then at Dover. He took the points lead after a second-place finish at Bristol and then won two more races: his second Southern 500 at Darlington and another win at Dover.

Going into the final race, Bill needed to finish 18th or better to win the championship. He drove carefully and finished 11th, winning the 1988 Winston Cup Championship by 24 points over Rusty Wallace. He finished the season with six wins, 15 top-5s, and 22 top-10s.

The Last Years at Melling Racing

After his championship, Bill Elliott broke his wrist in 1989 but still won three races. In 1990, he won one race at Dover. A sad event happened that year when his tire changer, Mike Rich, was killed in a pit road accident. This led NASCAR to make new rules to slow cars down on pit road.

In 1991, Bill's car changed sponsors and colors. He won only one race that year at Daytona. After a tough season, he left Melling Racing. Over 10 seasons, Melling Racing and Bill Elliott achieved incredible success, including the Winston Million and the 1988 championship, with 34 wins.

Junior Johnson and Associates

Elliott's 1994 Ford Thunderbird

The 1992 Season and the Hooters 500

In 1992, Bill Elliott joined Junior Johnson & Associates. He quickly found success, winning four races in a row at Rockingham, Richmond, Atlanta, and Darlington. He had a strong season and was leading the championship with six races left.

However, like in 1985, he had a string of bad finishes due to mechanical problems. This caused him to lose the points lead and drop to third place with one race to go.

The final race of 1992, the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta, is one of NASCAR's most famous races. Six drivers could win the championship. Bill Elliott won the race, but Alan Kulwicki finished second and led one more lap than Bill. This extra lap gave Kulwicki five bonus points, allowing him to win the championship by just 10 points over Bill Elliott. If Kulwicki hadn't led that extra lap, Bill would have won the championship because he had more wins that year.

Final Years with Junior Johnson

In 1993, Bill Elliott went winless for the first time in 10 years. However, he did get his only career win in the Xfinity Series (then called the Busch Grand National Series) at Watkins Glen.

In 1994, he won his third Southern 500 at Darlington. This was his 40th career win and his last win for over six years. After this win, he announced he would leave Junior Johnson's team to start his own.

Becoming a Driver/Owner

Elliott-Hardy Racing and Bill Elliott Racing

1997 racecar

From 1995 to 2000, Bill Elliott raced for his own team, Bill Elliott Racing. He used the car number 94 to honor his nephew, Casey Elliott, who was battling cancer. During these years, he didn't win any races, but he still finished in the top 10 in the championship standings twice. In 1996, he missed some races after breaking his hip at Talladega.

In 1997, he had his best season as a driver/owner. He had one pole position and 14 top-10 finishes. He came very close to winning the 1997 Daytona 500, leading with less than 10 laps to go. He also led most of the Southern 500 but finished fourth.

In 1998, he teamed up with football star Dan Marino to form Elliott-Marino Motorsports. Sadly, Bill had to miss a race to attend his father's funeral that year.

After a tough 1999 season, Bill announced in 2000 that he was selling his team. He would then drive for Ray Evernham as part of Dodge's return to NASCAR. Even though he didn't win any races as a driver/owner, his fans still voted him NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for 10 years in a row.

Evernham Motorsports

Dodge's Return and Bill's Comeback Win

In 2001, Bill Elliott started driving the No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. He chose the number 9 out of respect for his old Melling team. In their very first race together, Bill won the pole position for the 2001 Daytona 500. This was his 50th career pole, making him the only driver to reach this milestone at the Daytona 500.

He finished the 2001 season with two pole positions and his first win since 1994! He won the Pennzoil Freedom 400 at Homestead-Miami, ending a 226-race winless streak, which was the longest in NASCAR history at the time. This was also Evernham Motorsports' first win. Bill finished 15th in points that year. He also asked his fans to vote for his friend and rival, Dale Earnhardt, for Most Popular Driver, after Earnhardt's passing.

Back-to-Back Wins in 2002

In 2002, Bill Elliott won four pole positions and had two memorable wins in a row. He won the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono, becoming the winningest driver there at the time. A week later, he had a dominant win at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading 93 laps.

After these wins, he was sixth in points. However, a series of bad finishes late in the season caused him to drop to 13th in the final standings. Still, he won his 16th and final NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award.

His Final Full-Time Season in 2003

The 2003 season was Bill Elliott's last full-time year in NASCAR. It was a challenging season at first. But in the final 10 races, he turned things around. He had five top-5 finishes and seven top-10 finishes, moving up to ninth place in the final standings.

He came very close to winning at Kansas, finishing second. Two weeks later, he won his 44th and final NASCAR race at Rockingham. He started last due to an engine change but drove through the field to lead 140 laps and win. In the season's final race, he was leading on the last lap but got a flat tire, finishing eighth.

After the 2003 season, Bill Elliott announced he would race part-time. He also officially withdrew from the Most Popular Driver ballot, allowing Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the award, which Earnhardt Jr. would win for 15 straight years.

Part-Time Racing Years

Evernham Motorsports and Other Teams

From 2004 onwards, Bill Elliott raced part-time. In 2004, he made three starts for Evernham Motorsports, including a ninth-place finish at Indianapolis, which was his 320th and final top-10 finish. He also raced for his own team, Bill Elliott Racing, in a few events.

In 2005, he continued racing part-time for Evernham and also made some starts in the Busch Series for Rusty Wallace. He even drove a special "Charlie Brown Christmas" themed car.

In 2006, Bill raced for several different teams, including MB2 Motorsports (where he competed in the Daytona 500), Michael Waltrip Racing, and R&J Racing.

Wood Brothers Racing

In 2007, Bill Elliott joined Wood Brothers Racing. He raced in 10 events, with his best finish being 11th at Michigan. In 2008, he announced it would be his final season as a full-time Sprint Cup driver, though he continued to race occasionally. His best finish in 2008 was 12th at Homestead-Miami.

In 2009, Bill ran 12 races for the Wood Brothers. On Memorial Day, he made his 800th career Sprint Cup start, joining a small group of drivers in the "800 club." He continued to race for the Wood Brothers in 2010 and also made a start for another team.

Later Part-Time Appearances

In 2011, Bill raced four times for Phoenix Racing. He also stepped out of the car at times to help his son, Chase Elliott, in his racing career. He made one start for Whitney Motorsports at Talladega.

For the 2012 season, Bill Elliott joined Joe Nemechek's team, NEMCO Motorsports. He qualified for the Talladega race but failed to qualify for the Daytona 500. His final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start was in July 2012 at Daytona for Turner Motorsports. He qualified fifth but was involved in an accident, finishing 37th. This was his 828th and final start in the series.

Return to Xfinity and SRX

Elliott racing at Road America in 2018

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

In 2018, Bill Elliott made a surprise return to NASCAR, racing in the Xfinity Series at Road America. It was his first Xfinity start since 2005. He finished 20th and joked, "I feel like I hit everything but the lottery!"

In 2021, Bill became a full-time driver in the first season of the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), a new racing series started by Tony Stewart. He finished third at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and ninth in points. He raced in two SRX events in 2022.

Bill Elliott in Video Games

In 1990, Konami released the first official NASCAR video game, Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge. It was available on computers and the NES. Another game, Bill Elliott's NASCAR Fast Tracks, came out for the Game Boy in 1991.

Bill Elliott's Legacy and Honors

When Bill Elliott began his semi-retirement, he was 14th on NASCAR's all-time win list with 44 wins. As of 2022, he ranks 19th. His 44 wins don't include six exhibition wins, like the 1986 "Winston All-Star Race" and four "Gatorade Twin 125" wins at Daytona. He retired with 55 pole positions, which is eighth all-time.

Bill Elliott won seven of NASCAR's "crown jewel" races:

• Two Daytona 500 wins (1985, 1987)
• Three Southern 500 wins (1985, 1988, 1994)
• One Winston 500 win (1985)
• One Brickyard 400 win (2002)

The only major race he didn't win was the World 600, where he finished second twice.

Most of Bill's success came during his 10 seasons with Melling Racing, working with his brothers Ernie and Dan. Together, they won 34 races, the Winston Million, and the 1988 championship. Bill Elliott was one of NASCAR's most loved and respected drivers, winning the Most Popular Driver Award a record 16 times.

Bill Elliott set many NASCAR records, and some still stand today:

• Fastest qualifying speed at Daytona International Speedway: 210.364 mph (338.548 km/h) in 1987.
• Fastest qualifying speed at Talladega Superspeedway: 212.809 mph (342.483 km/h) in 1987.
• Modern-era record of 11 superspeedway victories in one season (1985).
• Modern-era record of 4 season sweeps (winning both races at a track in one season) in 1985 (Pocono, Michigan, Darlington, and Atlanta).
• 4 consecutive wins at one superspeedway (Michigan, 1985-1986).
• Modern-era record of 4 consecutive race wins (1992).
• Most career Daytona 500 poles: 4 (1985-1987, 2001).
• 3 consecutive Daytona 500 poles (1985-1987).
• Most career pole positions at Talladega Superspeedway: 8.
• 6 consecutive pole positions at Talladega Superspeedway (1985-1987).
• Longest winless streak between wins: 226 races (1994-2001).

Bill Elliott is widely seen as one of the greatest and most respected racecar drivers in motorsports history. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He has been inducted into many Halls of Fame:

• Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1998)
• Inaugural inductee into the 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 state of Georgia and his hometown of Dawsonville have honored Bill Elliott and his family:

• In 2005, October 8 (his birthday) was declared Bill Elliott Day in Georgia.
• In Dawsonville, East 1st Street was renamed "Bill Elliott Street." The famous "siren" at the Dawsonville Pool Room traditionally goes off when a local driver wins a race, and it still sounds for Bill's son, Chase.
• A stretch of highway in his home county was renamed "Elliott Family Parkway."

Daytona 500 Results

Images for kids

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  Elliott at Richmond Raceway in 2017

See also

In Spanish: Bill Elliott para niños