Racing toward victory in the new millennium

In 1995, Bill Elliott began his own team and assumed sole ownership a year later. In 2000, he celebrated his 25th anniversary in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He made another high-profile move in 2001 when he joined Ray Evernham and Dodge as the lead driver of their organization. The team would herald in a new era for Dodge as the manufacturer made its return to the track after more than 20 years.

Elliott proved he still had the moves of a champion when he captured the pole at one of the circuit's most famous races: the Daytona 500. He made history once again in his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T when he won the pole and the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 11, 2001. It was the first victory for Elliott since September 4, 1994.

Elliott continued to make his fans proud throughout his exhilirating career. His 2001 standings were his best overall since 1994 with one win, two poles, five top-fives, nine top-10s and a 15th place finish in the points. In the 2002 season, he won four poles, finished four times in the top-five, 11 times in the top-10 and captured the checkered flag twice in a row: once at the Pennsylvania 500 and again at the Brickyard 400. By November 9, 2003 he had achieved his fourth win for Evernham Motorsports at Rockingham, moving up from a start in the rear of the field and leading 140 of 393 laps. During that season, he also finished in the top-five nine times and had 12 top-10 finishes. Moreover, Elliott has achieved amazing popularity, winning the NMPA's "Most Popular Driver" Award a record 16 times, eventually retiring his name from the contest in 2003.

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