Bill Elliot NASCAR Auto Racing Driver

Bill Elliot - A Name to Watch Out For

Born in 1955 in Dawsonville, Georgia, William Clyde ‘Bill’ Elliot is one of the most distinguished drivers in Winston Cup history. In his early days he started by helping out at his fathers shop which sold parts for racecars. His father, George Elliot, was an avid racing fan and he often took his sons along to work where they would help fix up different cars. Bill’s two brothers, Ernie and Dan, also did some racing in their youths. But it was young Bill who had the biggest passion for the sport – a passion which his father encouraged after Bill started converting a road car into a race car. According to George, it was his way of keeping Bill off the back roads of racing. He bought his son a 1963 Ford Fairlane and before long, Bill was whizzing around the racetrack.

Bill Elliot started racing regularly in 1974 when he took to the Dixie Speedway in Georgia. When he started winning, his father started to push him to new heights and just two years later, Elliot made his first Winston Cup start at Rockingham. His first Winston Cup win came in November 1983 at Riverside and in 1985, he got eleven wins and 11 poles. He took the chequered flag at the Winston Million and his success led to him being garnered with several nicknames such as ‘Million Dollar Bill’ and ‘Wild Bill’. He also became the first NASCAR driver to be featured on the cover of Sport Illustrated – an accomplishment which only helped his career. Amazingly enough, even though Elliot had enjoyed numerous successes by this stage in his career, he had not won the Winston Cup Championship. He eventually accomplished this feat in 1988.

By 2006, Bill Elliot had enjoyed 44 wins and had placed in the top ten 320 times. He’d also taken pole position as many as 55 times during the course of his career. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and has won the Most Popular Driver award on several occasions. His most recent win was the 2003 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham. He was also the first NASCAR Driver to be featured in a video game. No doubt his reputation as a unpretentious and friendly person had endeared him to thousands of fans and, when combined with his brilliant racing ability, will continue to hold him in good stead as he continues onward with his racing career.