Bill Elliott

Who is Bill Elliott?

William Clyde "Bill" Elliott, also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is an inactive driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship and has garnered 44 wins in that series. He had two Daytona 500 victories, and a record four consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway during 1985-86. He holds the track record for fastest qualifying speed at Talladega at 212.809 mph and Daytona International Speedway at 210.364 mph, both of which were set in 1987. The mark at Talladega is the fastest speed for any NASCAR event ever.

Elliott won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award 16 times, a record. He withdrew his name from the ballot for that award after winning it in 2002. In 2005, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declared October 8 as Bill Elliott Day in the state of Georgia. Elliott has also been honored by the state legislature, having a stretch of road in his native Dawsonville renamed Elliott Family Parkway. Elliott was born in Dawsonville, Georgia.