Bill Elliott -- Darlington Preview
<<ole0.bmp>> Kristine Curley Golin/Harris 704.924.9404 BILL ELLIOTT NO. 9 DODGE DEALERS INTREPID R/T DARLINGTON PREVIEW RUNNING AT DARLINGTON "Darlington can be tough. It helps if you've been around it a few times. We've had some good runs there in the Dodge. I don't know what it is, but I always seem to have better runs at the Southern. You always hear about how abrasive the track can be that's why tires are important here. They fall off so fast because of that. It really helps if you know how to conserve them. I'm sure that will be important this weekend as well." SOUTHERN 500 "I want to win any race, it doesn't matter where it is. This race is one of the bigger ones on the circuit, but like I said after Indy, no one race is more important than another. We just have to keep doing what we're doing. If we do that, then we'll continue to be competitive and put ourselves in position to win races." WINNING THE MILLION "It was a pretty big deal back then. It was the first time that it was done and that created a lot of excitement about it. Things got a little out of hand leading up to the race but we kind of got them under control by the time we got to Darlington, the media and all the attention. We just tried to concentrate on the car and doing what we needed to do. It is definitely a highlight in my career and one people still seem to talk about." POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING UNDER LIGHTS AT DARLINGTON "Everyone seems to like racing under the lights. They're always big races for the fans, just like Bristol. Doing it during the holiday weekend would create a lot of excitement I'm sure." RACE NOTES * Bill Elliott and the No. 9 Dodge Squad will bring the Dodge Intrepid R/T that qualified and finished 2nd at Dover this year. STATS & FACTS **For a complete 2002 race-by-race statistical report on Bill Elliott, please see the attached document "BillElliott bio.doc"** <<BillElliott bio.doc>> * This Sunday Bill Elliott will celebrate his 50th visit to one of his best tracks, Darlington Raceway. After 49 appearances at the track, Elliott leads all active drivers with five Bud Poles and is tied with Jeff Gordon for the most victories (five) among active drivers. He also leads all modern-era drivers in top-fives (20) and top 10s (32) at the track. Elliott's 9.16 average finish at Darlington is best among all active drivers. * * Elliott earned the first pole position of his NASCAR career at Darlington in April of 1981. * Last weekend at Bristol, starting in the fifth position, Bill Elliott was the highest qualifying Dodge for the seventh week in a row. He battled a car that was tight in the center for much of the evening. The No. 9 crew sat out the first five cautions, pitting for the first time on lap 149 for an air pressure adjustment and four tires. On lap 228, Elliott battled hard for position but lost a lap to the leader. Midway through the race he was in 22nd place and working through lap traffic to gain positions. Fast maneuvering kept him from sustaining damage when the No. 48 car spun in front of him. With 100 laps to go, Elliott would move up to where he would eventually finish, in 17th place. * In his last visit to Darlington in March, Elliott started the day in 10th place and stayed in the top 10 for most of the day. The No. 9 Dodge Intrepid R/T was caught on pit road when a caution flag was thrown on lap 198, putting Elliott a lap down. Adept driving by Elliott put him back on the lead lap more than a dozen laps later when the caution flew again after an 11-car accident on the backstretch. Elliott spent the remainder of the race maintaining track position, battling through traffic and working to avoid getting a "Darlington Stripe" to finish 10th. * In last summer's Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Elliott started in the ninth spot. Battling a tight handling car that nearly put him a lap down, Elliott fought back thanks in part to excellent pit stops by the No. 9 crew and a solid pit strategy from crew chief Mike Ford. He would finish the day in the fifth position. * Elliott's No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T has led laps in seven of the past 12 races (17 at Dover, 26 in June at Pocono, 31 in June at Michigan, three at Sears Point, 35 in July at Pocono, 93 at Indianapolis and six in August at Michigan). He has led in ten races this year for a total of 228 laps. Elliott led nine races in 2001 for a total of 171 laps. * Elliott looks even better in his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T than he did at this point last year. Elliott ranks seven spots higher, is finishing more than four spots better in each race, and has two more wins, three more poles, one more top-five and three more top-10s than he did after 24 races in 2001. Currently, Elliott sits in eighth place in the Winston Cup points race, two points out of seventh, 125 points out of fifth and 270 points out of the lead. * Winning the inaugural Winston Million at Darlington's 1985 Southern 500 is probably Elliott's most memorable victory at any track. Elliott's first pole position of his career came at Darlington on April 10, 1981. Prior to his win at Miami last season, Elliott's last win was at Darlington in 1994, driving for Junior Johnson. * Elliott's win at Indianapolis was record-setting as no driver has won from the front row at the Brickyard 400. * When Bill Elliott won the Pennsylvania 500, he became the all-time winningest driver at Pocono Raceway. Driving the No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T, Elliott won his fifth race at the 2.5-mile track. It was also the first time this season that a driver has won from the pole. * Elliott's second-place finish at Dover was his 300th career top-10 finish in 26 years of Winston Cup racing. Elliott has ten top-10s through the first 23 races in 2002. In 2001 Elliott earned nine top-10s. He earned a career-high 24 top-10s in 30 races in 1984, finishing third in the points standings. * Elliott's wins at Pocono and Indianapolis were his best finishes since his Nov. 11th victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2001. He has 43 victories in his 27 seasons racing in the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. ###