NASCAR WCUP: Elliott Leads 11 Laps, Atwood Finishes in Top 25 in Las Vegas

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

LAS VEGAS -- Evernham Motorsports's factory-backed Dodge drivers Bill Elliott and Casey Atwood competed their associate sponsor's NASCAR Winston Cup title race, the UAW DaimlerChrysler 400, placing 14th and 24th respectively.

Elliott charged through the pack and led 11 laps of the event, the third of 36 NASCAR Winston Cup Series events in 2001. He's currently placed 16th in championship points. Atwood struggled throughout the race, but stayed out of trouble and added important points to his chase for NASCAR's Winston Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors.

Elliott started in 16th position and worked his way to the front passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead during lap 144.

"We were running pretty good," said Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T. "Unfortunately I got together with the 01, he turned up on me in the middle of the back straightaway, just about put us both into the wall. We had a decent day, it wasn't all bad. We had a decent run going there in the middle, we just couldn't overcome it. Everything that happened all happened in the last 75 laps."

Atwood who started in the 18th position fought a tight car all day. With six cautions during the race, Atwood's "Dew Crew" made six pit stops allowing them some time to make adjustments. Unfortunately they never found the right setup and fell a lap behind.

"We just missed it, our car was just going away," said Casey Atwood, driver of the No. 19 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T. "We were running fast on the short runs and the car went away on the long runs. We've been struggling a little bit, we were really tight today. I had a lot of sponsors here this week -- the UAW and Dodge -- we really wanted to give them a good finish. Bill had a good run, it was a good weekend for us."

Next stop on the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup circuit will be in Atlanta, hometown of Bill Elliott.

"I have mixed emotions about Atlanta," said Elliott. "They reconfigured the track and we haven't had much luck with that, hopefully we can change that."

"I've had some good luck in the Busch cars in Atlanta," said Atwood. "It's the only track that we haven't tested at, that's a downside. We're going to do the best we can, we're just going to keep making the races."

The United Auto Workers DaimlerChrysler National Training Center is an associate sponsor of the No. 9 and No. 19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/Ts.

Text Provided By Molly Morter

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