Bill Elliott - Atlanta Preview

	NO. 9 DODGE DEALERS INTREPID R/T

Racing at Atlanta
"Atlanta is always fun. I really enjoyed the old Atlanta, the way the
racetrack used to be. It was always a lot of fun. It was a unique racetrack
to itself and I enjoyed running it. Still, the new one tends to be getting a
little better. I've kind of got it figured out a little bit better.
All-in-all, it's kind of a home territory. A lot of good friends and people
come down there and I enjoy running that place."

If the team will make adjustments due to the one-engine rule at Atlanta
"We have already, and I think you see it in a lot of teams. They don't run
as much as they have in the past (in practice because of the one-engine
rule). Until we get a better feel of what this rule is all about, we'll just
have to see. I think Atlanta and some of the other longer races will be a
good test.  I mean, you've got a 500-mile race, it's a high rpm racetrack
and that's going to really tell the tale if a motor and its components are
going to live.

"I just drive and let those guys worry about their own stuff. If they say,
'OK, you've run too much,' then I quit. Mike Ford and I establish what we
want to try to change and get ready to start the race. This business,
whatever curve NASCAR throws at us, we're going to have to respond to it and
figure out how to do it. There isn't any rule change that doesn't cost some
money. You're trying to figure out how to get all the power you can out of a
motor, then you've got to get durability out of it, also."

Comparing this season to 2001
"If I look back on our performance last year, I think our team really
started coming together June, July and August. There was a lot of racing
circumstances we fought. I think we tried some things that we didn't have
all of the information on and kind of went the wrong direction. As
temperamental as these racecars are, it's hard to get everything perfect
week in and week out. That's what we're striving for. I think having Jeremy
on board and still having Casey Atwood as part of the deal will help us get
to where we need to be quicker. Those are the keys that I see. I think
they're going to bring me along. I think they're going to keep me young."


	STATS & FACTS

*	This weekend's race marks Elliott's 51st career start at Atlanta.
He has four poles, five wins, 12 top fives and 18 top 10s at the track.  His
total of 51 starts will mark the most times Elliott has visited a single
track. He leads all active drivers at Atlanta with four poles and five wins.
The 1.5-mile track ranks second to Michigan (seven) on Elliott's all-time
career win list.  

*	In last November's NAPA 500 Elliott started sixth (his best starting
position at Atlanta since March of 1992).  He ran in the top 20 all day,
getting as high as third in the early stages of the race.  A tight handling
car kept Elliott from maintaining his top five position, but he was able to
run with the lead pack for the entire race, gaining valuable spots in the
closing laps to finish 14th.  He also gained a valuable spot in the points
race, moving from 16th to 15th.

*	Elliott had another consistent outing last week in Las Vegas after
starting his day in the 23rd spot. Elliott was competitive from the
beginning, advancing into the top 10 early on, at times posting the fastest
time on the track.  Elliott would spend the day moving around the top 10
despite a car that was handling a little loose.  He took two tires on his
last stop and maintained track position to finish eighth.  It was Elliott's
third top-10 finish at the track in five races and his third consecutive
top-15 finish of the season. 

*	Elliott's finish at Las Vegas moved him up two positions in the
points race to sixth place. He is just 12 points out of fifth place.  Coming
into Atlanta last year Elliott ranked seventh in the points race, just 22
points behind his current total.

*	Elliott is making up plenty of ground after the green flag drops.
His average start this year is 26th, but his average finish (10th) ties
Elliott for the fourth best average among drivers who have started in all
three races this season.

*	Elliott is one of only six drivers who have completed all 860 laps
in the three races this season.