Did you know? Until his move this season to Dodge, Elliott had never driven anything other than a Ford in Winston Cup competition.

Bill Elliott has reserved his place in NASCAR history as one of the most successful and popular drivers ever to take a checkered flag. Though he has statistics that rank among the elite in NASCAR Winston Cup racing, Elliott's persona remains the same as the day he left north Georgia some twenty years ago to compete in his first Winston Cup race.

"I'm just Bill, a simple country boy from Dawsonville, Georgia" said Elliott, driver of the #9 Dodge "All I ever cared about was driving the car and being the best I could be." Since the day that Elliott, along with his father and two brothers, pulled into North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham for their first Winston Cup race [1976], the redhead from Georgia has blazed a path of glory. Elliott's exploits on the track have been legendary and his popularity off the track has been unmatched. His 40 career victories and 49 career poles ranked second and fifth among active drivers entering the 1999 season respectively.

Elliott was the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup champion and nearly claimed the title three other times by finishing second in the point standings in 1985, 1987 and 1992. He lost the 1992 title to the late Alan Kulwicki by a mere 10 points, which remains the closest point battle in NASCAR history. Consistency has also been an Elliott trademark. He has finished in the top 10 in 13 of the last 16 seasons and has had prize money of $1 million or more in eight different seasons. His total prize money of more than $19 million ranks third in all-time career earnings.

Bill was the first driver to win the Winston Million, a $1 million bonus from R. J. Reynolds for winning three of the "Big Four" super speedway races in 1985: the Daytona 500, the Winston 500 in Talladega, Ala. and the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C. The victory in Darlington and the $1million payoff created a blitz of national media coverage for Elliott, including the cover of Sports Illustrated. "If you had asked me back when I started if I thought I could accomplish all of this, the answer would have been no," said the 43 year-old Elliott. "It's not that I didn't have the confidence in myself and the team, it's just that so many things have to be just right to win in this business. I feel fortunate that I was able to endure the tough times and then take advantage of the good times. "I don't think of my life as being much different from anyone else's. What motivates me versus what motivates somebody else is, in a lot of ways, very similar. You want to do well, you want to succeed and you want to do the things you want to do.

Elliott's burning desire to be the best, along with a genuine homegrown spirit is why his legions of fans have voted him NASCAR's Most Popular Driver a record 14 times since 1984 [every year except 1989 and 1990] in a fan poll conducted by the National Motorsports Press Association [NMPA]. Some of this might be because of his friendly nature towards his fans at his personal appearance dates he makes around the country "We all are motivated by certain things," said Elliott. "Of course, winning is one of them, but for me the fans have always been the biggest motivational factor. I've said this over and over — our fans are the backbone of this sport and they are the reason we are able to do what we do.

Bill says, "The fans have stuck with me through thick and thin. They cheer you on when you're doing great, pick you up when you're feeling down, understand when you're having a bad day and want to share your best days, like when you win. It's as if I'm one of their family and they're part of my family." Elliott comes from one of the most storied families in NASCAR history. Led by his late father and mentor [George Elliott], the Elliott crew began their quest for Winston Cup stardom in the mid 1970s when sons Bill, Ernie and Dan formed a modestly financed team that would serve a lengthy apprenticeship before finally tasting success. It took more than seven seasons and over 100 starts before the Elliott team tasted victory.

Bill's first Winston Cup win came in 1983 on a road course in Riverside, Calif. That victory opened the floodgates. Bill would win 31 more times the next six years, including two triumphs at the famed Daytona 500 [1985 and 1987] and a record 11 super speedway wins in 1985. His accomplishments propelled him to the pinnacle of Winston Cup racing. "When we first went racing in 1976, I didn't have a clue that all this would last as long as it has," said Elliott. "I probably never saw it happening that way because of the way we started and what we had to do to race. But I was lucky in that we had a lot of people who believed in what we did and supported me and the team through it. "One thing we did have back when we started was a strong work ethic which is a tribute to my father, who taught us that you can accomplish plenty with hard work and a positive attitude."

Bill drove for his family's team from 1976–81, followed by a 10-year stint for Harry Melling [1982–91] and three seasons for Junior Johnson [1992–94]. In 1995, his first season with the McDonald's sponsorship, Elliott formed his own team with Charles Hardy as a partner. It was while recovering from a broken left thighbone suffered during a crash at the 1996 Winston 500 at Talladega [Ala.] Super speedway that Elliott acquired Hardy's interest midway through the 1996 campaign, becoming one of only a few owner and drivers in Winston Cup racing.