Racing legend Bill Elliott has built one of the most distinguished records in NASCAR Cup history. Throughout his career he has radiated a modest and friendly personality that has endeared him to race fans of all ages. From cutting up car bodies in the early days to winning NASCAR's first million dollar bonus, Bill Elliott has seen and done it all. Though quiet and unpretentious, this NASCAR Cup champion has been dazzling fans with his racing ability for an amazing three decades.

A family affair

Hard work and a passion for the art of racing turned an eager young driver from a small Georgia town into a NASCAR Winston Cup champion. But, it was the strength and support of his family that first launched Bill Elliott into racing. George Elliott, the family patriarch, started bringing his three boys, Ernie, Dan and Bill, to the racetrack. The whole family was passionate about racing and it wasn't long before the Elliott boys were behind the wheel. Elliott's father is noted as saying, ""Actually, I got my boys into racing because I wanted them to stay away from the back roads. If they were going to be driving fast, I wanted them to do it in the right place." During events local tracks, like the Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia, the Elliott's could see their youngest son Bill had raw, natural talent for the sport. Nineteen year-old Bill could rocket around a racetrack in high-speed, rubber burning, record setting fashion.

It wasn't long before the Elliotts began entering races on a consistent basis. In 1976, the family found themselves in the sports elite series. On Feb. 29, 1976, at North Carolina Speedway, 20-year-old Elliott entered his first Winston Cup race. The Elliott family once struggled to pay the entry fees for their races but now they were a fierce and ferocious force on the NASCAR circuit. Triumphantly, Elliott won his first pole on April 10, 1981 at Darlington Raceway.

The family's racing operation got a financial boost in 1982 when Michigan-based businessman, Harry Melling, gave Bill his chance at racing immortality. Melling provided the funding needed to keep Elliott racing. That following year, Elliott began his first full season on the circuit. On November 20, 1983, he found victory lane at Riverside International Raceway in his 117th Winston Cup race.

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