Bill Elliott Racing
Encyclopedia
Bill Elliott Racing is a former NASCAR
Winston Cup, Busch
and Craftsman Truck Series
team. It was owned and operated by 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott
from 1995 until 2000, when it was sold to Evernham Motorsports
.
made the first start for the #44 at Talladega Superspeedway
, finishing in the ninth position. Jimmy Hensley
and Bobby Hillin, Jr.
ran the car later in the season, but neither finished in the top-ten. Wanting to own his own team, Elliott partnered with Hardy for the 1995 season to form Bill Elliott Racing. The new team premiered at the 1995 Daytona 500
as the #94 Ford
with McDonald's
sponsoring. Elliott's first year as an owner/driver was marked with eleven top-tens, two poles
, and an eighth place finish in the points. After a horrific crash in 1996 at Talladega Superspeedway
, Elliott missed several races to recover from his injuries and was replaced by Dorsey Schroeder
, Todd Bodine
, Tommy Kendall
, and Bobby Hillin Jr.. Returning full time in 1997, Elliott had fourteen top tens and another eighth place finish in points. His team also expanded to a multi-car operation they year when Ron Barfield
drove the #92 New Holland
Ford
to a twenty-second place finish at the Brickyard 400. Elliott's operation went multi-car full time in 1998, teaming up with Dan Marino
to field the #13 FirstPlus Financial Ford
. Rookie Jerry Nadeau
raced the car for the first half of the year, before he was released and replaced by multiple drivers. Elliott also fielded the #89 car driven by Dennis Setzer
for one race. The year was marked with sadness when Elliott had to miss the fall Dover
race to attend the funeral of his father. In his place was Matt Kenseth
who finished sixth in his debut cup race.
After a disappointing 1999 season which saw his multi-car operation dissolve back into #94, Elliott announced in early 2000 he was selling his equipment to championship-winning crew chief Ray Evernham
to become part of Dodge's
return to NASCAR
. The team would also switch to #9.
in his #9 Ford, his best finish being a seventh. Three years later, he drove two late-season races in the #84, finishing in the top-ten both times. His next ownership run would come in 1993, when he fielded the #94 in a pair of races for his nephew Casey, who had a best finish of 20th.
In 1996, Elliott's protege Ron Barfield
ran six races in Elliott's #94 New Holland Equipment Ford, garnering a best finish of 11th at Charlotte. He ran times the following season and had two ninth-place runs. Elliott's last race as a Busch owner came in 1998, when Jeff Fuller finished fifteenth in the #94 Chevrolet
at the Jiffy Lube Miami 300.
Ford for Barfield. He had three top-tens in his first four starts, but only made a limited schedule of seven starts. He ran just one race in 1997, an eighth place run at Walt Disney World Speedway
. Late in the season, Elliott made one start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
with Team ASE Racing sponsoring, but he finished 31st after suffering engine problems.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Winston Cup, Busch
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
and Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
team. It was owned and operated by 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
from 1995 until 2000, when it was sold to Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
.
Winston Cup
The team was originally owned by Charles Hardy and ran part-time with various drivers and sponsorship from Buss Fuses. Kenny WallaceKenny Wallace
Kenneth Wallace is an American stock car driver who currently drives the #09 Family Farmers/University of Northwestern Ohio/Federated Auto Parts/American Ethanol/Iowa Corn/G-Oil/Marquis Energy Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
made the first start for the #44 at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, finishing in the ninth position. Jimmy Hensley
Jimmy Hensley
Jimmy Hensley is a former NASCAR driver. With a career spanning 27 seasons in all three of NASCAR's elite divisions, Hensley may be best remembered for his Rookie of the Year award won in 1992, his 15th season in the series, and for his nine career Busch Series wins. He spent most of his career...
and Bobby Hillin, Jr.
Bobby Hillin, Jr.
Bobby Hillin, Jr. , is an American stock car racecar driver. Hillin's love for racing began when he was a young boy watching his father's USAC Sprint and Indy cars race across the Midwest. At the age of 13, after a short period of racing go-karts and motocross, Hillin drove his first race car in...
ran the car later in the season, but neither finished in the top-ten. Wanting to own his own team, Elliott partnered with Hardy for the 1995 season to form Bill Elliott Racing. The new team premiered at the 1995 Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
as the #94 Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
with McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
sponsoring. Elliott's first year as an owner/driver was marked with eleven top-tens, two poles
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
, and an eighth place finish in the points. After a horrific crash in 1996 at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, Elliott missed several races to recover from his injuries and was replaced by Dorsey Schroeder
Dorsey Schroeder
Dorsey Schroeder is a race car driver born February 5, 1953 in Kirkwood, Missouri. Dorsey currently lives in Florida with his wife Kim and daughter Carissa Schroeder from his second marriage...
, Todd Bodine
Todd Bodine
Todd Bodine is a NASCAR driver. Todd is the younger brother of former racers Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine. Bodine is known for his bald head, which has given him the nickname The Onion...
, Tommy Kendall
Tommy Kendall
Tommy Kendall is an American race car driver and television broadcaster. He is best known for his SCCA Trans-Am Series career....
, and Bobby Hillin Jr.. Returning full time in 1997, Elliott had fourteen top tens and another eighth place finish in points. His team also expanded to a multi-car operation they year when Ron Barfield
Ron Barfield
Ron Barfield is a former NASCAR driver. He raced in all of the major NASCAR series: Winston Cup, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series, but did not win a race. He is a former protege of Bill Elliott.- Beginnings :...
drove the #92 New Holland
New Holland Machine Company
The New Holland Machine Company was founded in 1895, when a young man by the name of Abram Zimmerman purchased a horse barn in New Holland, Pennsylvania and established a blacksmith shop....
Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
to a twenty-second place finish at the Brickyard 400. Elliott's operation went multi-car full time in 1998, teaming up with Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
to field the #13 FirstPlus Financial Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. Rookie Jerry Nadeau
Jerry Nadeau
Jerry Nadeau is a retired race car driver from Danbury, Connecticut. Nadeau competed in the 1994 Barber Dodge Pro Series and the 1996 Formula Opel Euroseries.-NASCAR career:Nadeau's NASCAR career began in 1995 in the Busch Series...
raced the car for the first half of the year, before he was released and replaced by multiple drivers. Elliott also fielded the #89 car driven by Dennis Setzer
Dennis Setzer
Dennis Setzer is a NASCAR driver. He has driven in all three of NASCAR's top series. He currently splits time between the #23, #49, and #70 cars, all for Jay Robinson Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
for one race. The year was marked with sadness when Elliott had to miss the fall Dover
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
race to attend the funeral of his father. In his place was Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth
Matthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth is an American stock car driver. Kenseth currently drives the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
who finished sixth in his debut cup race.
After a disappointing 1999 season which saw his multi-car operation dissolve back into #94, Elliott announced in early 2000 he was selling his equipment to championship-winning crew chief Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham is currently a consultant for Hendrick Companies. In 1999, Evernham won the NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated “Person of the Year”.-Racer:...
to become part of Dodge's
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
return to NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
. The team would also switch to #9.
Busch Series
Elliott made his first start as a Busch Series team owner in 1988, driving both races at CharlotteLowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
in his #9 Ford, his best finish being a seventh. Three years later, he drove two late-season races in the #84, finishing in the top-ten both times. His next ownership run would come in 1993, when he fielded the #94 in a pair of races for his nephew Casey, who had a best finish of 20th.
In 1996, Elliott's protege Ron Barfield
Ron Barfield
Ron Barfield is a former NASCAR driver. He raced in all of the major NASCAR series: Winston Cup, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series, but did not win a race. He is a former protege of Bill Elliott.- Beginnings :...
ran six races in Elliott's #94 New Holland Equipment Ford, garnering a best finish of 11th at Charlotte. He ran times the following season and had two ninth-place runs. Elliott's last race as a Busch owner came in 1998, when Jeff Fuller finished fifteenth in the #94 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
at the Jiffy Lube Miami 300.
Craftsman Truck Series
Elliott began fielding Truck entries in 1996 with the #94 Super 8 MotelsSuper 8 Motels
Super 8 Hotels Inc. is the world's largest budget hotel chain, with hotels in the United States and Canada, as well as newer properties in China. The company is a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide, formerly a part of Cendant.-History:...
Ford for Barfield. He had three top-tens in his first four starts, but only made a limited schedule of seven starts. He ran just one race in 1997, an eighth place run at Walt Disney World Speedway
Walt Disney World Speedway
Walt Disney World Speedway is a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida.It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and was designed primarily as a venue for the Indy 200 at Walt Disney...
. Late in the season, Elliott made one start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
with Team ASE Racing sponsoring, but he finished 31st after suffering engine problems.