Bill Elliott in the 21!

V

Vern Demerest

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Bill Elliott and the Wood Brothers racing team are giving long-time Ford fans something to celebrate next week in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Elliott has agreed to come out of his semi-retirement to drive the Wood's famous #21 Ford. Elliott, who had his greatest racing success driving a #9 Ford, will be back behind the blue oval logo for the first time since he drove his own #94 in 2000. The #21, which has been driven this season by Ken Schrader and Jon Wood, is outside the top 35 in owner points, but Elliott has a past-champion's provisional at his disposal if he fails to qualify on speed. "That will allow is to spend time getting the car ready for the race instead of worrying about qualifying," Elliott said. "And it means a lot to me to drive that car." Elliott has also filed an entry for the following week at Dover.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(5-17-2007)
 
He should drive it in the All-Star race too. Give him some practice.
 
Bill Elliot

Looks like I can see a trend starting here. Wonder what past champion will put Mickeys car in the race?Could it be Darrell?
 
I was a big Elliott fan in the 80's when he was winning everything in that hotrod T-Bird but I have to say that I believe his days of being fast and/or competitive have long since passed.
 
BobbyFord said:
I was a big Elliott fan in the 80's when he was winning everything in that hotrod T-Bird but I have to say that I believe his days of being fast and/or competitive have long since passed.
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Even though I know it would never happen, if Richard Petty drove a race it would tickle me pink. I was always a King fan.
 
tkj24 said:
Even though I know it would never happen, if Richard Petty drove a race it would tickle me pink. I was always a King fan.
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They ought to have an "Over-the-Hill" race where all of the retired drivers that are willing to compete can race at...say Charlotte. Advertise the heck out of it, sell T-shirts, hats, etc. and have a portion of all proceeds raised be donated to the Victory Junction Gang Camp or Habitat For Humanity or a combination of any reputable charities.:D
 
BobbyFord said:
They ought to have an "Over-the-Hill" race where all of the retired drivers that are willing to compete can race at...say Charlotte. Advertise the heck out of it, sell T-shirts, hats, etc. and have a portion of all proceeds raised be donated to the Victory Junction Gang Camp or Habitat For Humanity or a combination of any reputable charities.:D
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Actually, they have thought about this, not just for a race or two, but for a series. And I think that this could help to bring back some of the old fans that are put off with what is going on with NASCAR today.
 
BobbyFord said:
They ought to have an "Over-the-Hill" race where all of the retired drivers that are willing to compete can race at...say Charlotte. Advertise the heck out of it, sell T-shirts, hats, etc. and have a portion of all proceeds raised be donated to the Victory Junction Gang Camp or Habitat For Humanity or a combination of any reputable charities.:D
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:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
They could even make the cars go slower if they needed to. You know so the old guys won't get hurt.
 
Run them at the oldest tracks still in existance, too. Wilkesboro, rockingham, darlington, martinsville, ect. That would be fun to watch.
 
You people are really harsh. Let's just say what would happen if our current champ, Jimmie Johnson was to be placed in the #55 car. Do you reckon he would be able to qualify for any race? If you take into consideration the #00 car of Reutimann, one could make a good argument that Jimmie could put that car into the show, but a good knowledge of the sport says that while Jimmie is that much of a better driver than Michael, him putting one of Mikey's cars in the show probably wouldn't happen. Now let's say that you put Dale Jarrett into the car of Jimmie Johnson, how do you think he would fare in any of the races?

I know, I know, you guys probably think that Jimmie could probably put one of those Tyoties on the pole, while DJ would still miss the boat. But when we are realistic about it all, it would probably be somewhere in between. We already know that Richard Petty, Terry Labone, Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace and more, have proven that they are well qualified to drive a race car, and many of those boys have driven faster than our current champ, Jimmie Johnson. The reason for that is that NASCAR has put a limit on the speeds that the cars of today can achieve. But if you take that into consideration, there will always be those who say that unless you can show us the speed, you aren't worthy of the title. Now I'm not one of those yahoos, but for sure, those old guys in my eyes, can sure whoop up on many of today's superstars, given the chance. It's all in the animal under them and there in lies the rub. Today, in order to field a team, one must not only have the driver that can do the work, but must also be able to show the face, i.e. be a pretty face for the sponsor.

Having said all of this, I have no doubt as to why Elliott, (Bill the former champ) was given the chance to drive the #21 car, and that is to make the race. While old Bill is what has been called, over the hill, he's still probably a much better choice to drive this car and perform better than the equally over the hill driver, and still one of the favorites, Kenny Schrader. Kenny has never been one that has been considered a favorite in any race, but is known as an avid driver. I can name you a number of avid drivers who haven't do squat, but continue to be able to draw fans and sponsors (one such is none other than Kenny Wallace). BTW, if you were a car owner, who would you put in your car if you had a choice, Kenny Wallace, Kenny Schrader, or Bill Elliott? I know, you'd prefer to have that wonderful personality Michael Waltrip. That's the problem with today's racing. We pick a personality instead of a racer.
 
Old Timers Race

I recall seeing a race at Charlotte a few years back called the Legends which featured retired drivers. Humpy had the race on the small track that the legend cars run on today. Can't remember all the drivers that participated but I do remember Junior Johnson giving them guys a lesson in driving. Would be nice to see D.W.,Cale,Richard,D.Pearson,B.Allison,and some of the old drivers again. Course the smaller cars and the power steering might make the newer cars eaiser for them to drive.
 
Be still my heart. Bill back in a Ford. I don't care how he runs. Just to see him one more time in a Ford is great.:beerbang: :beerbang: :beerbang:
 
buckaroo said:
BTW, if you were a car owner, who would you put in your car if you had a choice, Kenny Wallace, Kenny Schrader, or Bill Elliott? I know, you'd prefer to have that wonderful personality Michael Waltrip. That's the problem with today's racing. We pick a personality instead of a racer.
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YAHOO !! You tell'em Buck !!!

Kenny Wallace or Kenny Schrader should be in the All Star Race ? What ?? No question they are both super nice personalities but the idea of an All Star Race is to have "all stars" race against one another. Of course, maybe Bruton Smith and Company would like to have a "Personable Driver Race". There are a bunch of personable drivers on the circuit who rarely, if ever, win or finish in the top ten for that matter.

So, why would anyone want to watch "Mr. Personality" race when you know darn well where "Mr. Personality" will wind up. Most likely, fighting for last place. Of course that might be exciting but doubtful.

The problem is, most of todays race fans don't know squat about what racing is about !!!! Harsh ???? You betcha it is and it is intended to be.

Read the comments from fans who "rate the race" on this forum. How many times do you see, "I'll give it a five. It wasn't a bad race but Darren Dick, my favorite driver, didn't win", or "they (NASCAR) threw the caution at the end and it gave the race to Sam Cumquat. That sux."

The thing is, many people rate a given race on how their favorite driver finished or didn't finish.

There are many who do know how to watch a race, understand what is taking place and why. A solid bet is, the majority of fans, the ones Brian France and NASCAR cater to these days, haven't got a clue beyond where their favorite driver finished.

These same fans most likely play the twenty minute version of Monopoly.

After being at more NASCAR races than I can count or care to remember, and listening to some of the comments people make while trying to prove what enthusiastic fans they are, I've come to the conclusion, a lot of them will leave the sport after the novelty wears off or it is no longer the "in thing to do". Just a bout the same time celebrities no longer come to the race scene.
The ones that stay with the sport and study it, will learn how, when, where and why certain thngs happen when they do and they will also know not every race is a master piece.

Racing is a lot like life, some days are not as exciting as others but as Ann Landers used to say, "when you get lemons, make lemonade".

Do that and there are very few bad or boring races, just some races are better than others.:)
 
i believe kenny can drive, he just needs a good ride. considering he has qualified sixth for 2 cot races, they just need to take that performance and make it work in a pack of cars.
 
Magnethead said:
i believe kenny can drive, he just needs a good ride. considering he has qualified sixth for 2 cot races, they just need to take that performance and make it work in a pack of cars.
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Maybe since he is good at qualifying he should go to drag racing.:beerbang:
 
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