Elliott Qualifies the #21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion 35th at Atlanta

Atlanta, March 7, 2009: The #21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion was back on the track today in Atlanta. The Wood Brothers and Bill Elliott participated in a 1 and ½ hour practice session and qualifying.

47 cars attempted to make this Sunday’s race. Since only 43 cars race, this meant four teams would be going home. Bill was the second of twelve “Go-or-Go-Homers” to qualify. During his first qualifying lap, Bill posted a faster lap then any of his practice times and followed-up his first qualifying lap with a better second lap – a feat accomplished by only a few competitors during qualifying. Bill’s second qualifying lap was 0.809 seconds faster than his best practice lap.

The team waited patiently for the remaining 10 teams to qualify. When it was finished, Bill was the sixth fastest of the 12 teams outside the top 35. His effort means he will start 35th in Sunday’s Cobalt’s 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The team will participate in two practices tomorrow, Saturday, March 7th. You can watch practice on the Speed Channel beginning at 11:00 am EST.

The race is scheduled for Sunday, March 8th on Fox. Live race day track coverage begins at 1:30 pm EST with the green flag set to wave at 2:00 pm EST.