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Bill Elliott became
involved in racing at a young age, thanks to his family's tradition
in Dawsonville, Georgia. His father, George Elliott, was an
avid racing fan and sold parts for racecars. Bill's brothers,
Ernie and Dan, were also involved in fixing up cars and did
some racing as well. Bill's interest in driving was minimal
at first, but when he started transforming a regular road car
into a racecar, George knew it was time to take his son more
seriously. He bought Bill a 1963 Ford Fairlane that had already
been used as a racecar. Fords would be the exclusive cars of
the Elliott's for years to come.
Bill started racing regularly in 1974 at the Dixie Speedway
in Woodstock, Georgia. When he began winning those races, George
took the cue and pushed his son further. Bill remembers, "It
was something I look back on and I think he might have seen
more in me than I saw in myself." George had a somewhat
different view. "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."
Going national
Northern Georgia was where Bill was comfortable, but in order
to go somewhere in the racing world, he had to expand his horizons.
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Another chance
Just as the Elliott's were packing to head home, word came that
the Melling Tool Company would back the team with $35,000 for
the next season.
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A year to remember
Spectacular accomplishments give fans good cause to dub the
Georgia native "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" and
"Million Dollar Bill."
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Moving on
Despite changing sponsors, new NASCAR regulations and a personal
tragedy, Bill continues to be a major contender in the Winston
Cup series.
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New Sponsorship
While McDonalds had made its decision to move on, so had top-notch
crew chief Ray Evernham.
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