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Going national
Northern Georgia was where Bill was comfortable, but if he was
going somewhere in the racing world, he had to expand his horizons.
In 1976, the Elliott family team (which included Ernie as the
crew chief, Dan building transmissions and a few buddies) drove
to Rockingham, North Carolina to compete in the Carolina 500.
Bill qualified, but only ran 32 of the 492 laps thanks to a
broken oil pump; he placed 33rd. George wasn't ready to give
up and they continued to run major races over the summer. Bill's
best finish was 14th in Nashville, but the family barely made
enough money to cover their expenses. The problem was not Bill's
driving, but the equipment that constantly cut races short.
George knew they could do well with a better car, and the next
year they did just that.
With a new 1977 Mercury, Bill finished 10th at Charlotte and
11th in Atlanta. Finally, he began to get some attention. The
next January, NASCAR's annual record book contained the following
entry: "Bill Elliott increased his Winston Cup activity
in 1977 and improved his performance statistics a great deal.
He notched two 10th place finishes - one at Darlington and another
at Charlotte. He started short-track racing in 1974 and moved
up to Winston Cup competition in 1976. The youngster bears watching
- with the right equipment, he could be a strong contender."
NASCAR was right. In 1978, Bill went to his first Daytona 500,
where he gridded eighth and finished ninth, five laps down.
He backed that up with ninth at Darlington, an impressive sixth
at Talladega, another ninth at Daytona's summer Firecracker,
and a sixth in the Southern 500.
The next year, the Elliotts had a surprise for everyone. Bill
qualified sixth, his career best, and finished second in the
Southern 500 at Darlington. Also that day, Ernie was honored
as Sears/Craftsman's top crew chief. Altogether in 1979, Bill
earned $57,330 and brought his finish average up to 14.3. The
NASCAR record book entry about Bill reads "Bill competes
in several races each season and impressed everyone with his
driving ability, but has never been able to put together a full-fledged
campaign on the Winston Cup trail." One reason for this
was the ever-present lack of funding. The Elliotts were independent,
but they couldn't go on without a major sponsor to back them
up. To make matters worse, 1980 proved a disappointing year
for Bill's driving. Following a 12th place finish at the Daytona
500, Bill encountered a streak of bad luck at Atlanta (29th),
Talladega (21st) and Charlotte (a wreck on lap seven put him
in last). All this was further complicated by a new NASCAR requirement
that all wheelbases be downsized five inches. To George, that
meant a new car, and there was no money for that in the budget.
The Elliotts were on their last leg.
Another
chance >>
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