|
Bill Elliott
#9
Bill Elliott drives the #9 Late Model
Class car. He lives in Blairsville, GA.
Bill Elliott
became involved in racing at a young age, thanks to his family's tradition
in Dawsonville, Georgia. His father, George Elliott, was an avid racing
fan and sold parts for racecars. Bill's brothers, Ernie and Dan, were also
involved in fixing up cars and did some racing as well. Bill's interest in
driving was minimal at first, but when he started transforming a regular
road car into a racecar, George knew it was time to take his son more
seriously. He bought Bill a 1963 Ford Fairlane that had already been used
as a racecar. Fords would be the exclusive cars of the Elliott's for years
to come.
Bill started racing regularly in 1974 at the Dixie Speedway in Woodstock,
Georgia. When he began winning those races, George took the cue and pushed
his son further. Bill remembers, "It was something I look back on and I
think he might have seen more in me than I saw in myself." George had a
somewhat different view. "Actually, I got my boys into racing because I
wanted them to stay away from the back roads. If they were going to be
driving fast, I wanted them to do it in the right place."
The 2004 season
begins Elliott's 29th year on the circuit. In that time, he has amassed
659 NASCAR Winston Cup starts, 41 wins, 51 poles, 160 top-five finishes
and 294 top10 finishes. In March 2002, he captured his 52nd career pole at
Atlanta.
"If you can be
competitive and run good, you don't necessarily have to sit on the pole
and win every race, but if you can chip away and be competitive week in
and week out, that's where I want to be. That's a part of what this
business is all about."
-Bill Elliott
|