Bill Elliott Racing

Last updated
Bill Elliott Racing
Owner(s) Bill Elliott, Charles Hardy, Dan Marino
Base Mooresville, North Carolina
Series Winston Cup, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series
Race drivers Bill Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Jerry Nadeau
Sponsors McDonald's
Manufacturer Ford
Opened1995
Closed2000
Career
Drivers' Championships 0
Race victories0

Bill Elliott Racing (formerly known as Charles Hardy Racing, Elliott-Hardy Racing, and Elliott-Marino Racing) was a NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series team. It was owned and operated by 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott from 1995 until 2000, when it was sold to Evernham Motorsports. The team's primary car was the No. 94 McDonald's Ford Winston Cup car driven by its owner, but also fielded various other cars.

Contents

Winston Cup

Car No. 13 history

Elliott's operation went multi-car full-time in 1998, teaming up with Dan Marino and renaming the team to Elliott-Marino Racing to field the No. 13 FirstPlus Financial Ford. Rookie Jerry Nadeau raced the car for the first half of the year, before he was released and replaced by Wally Dallenbach Jr., Dennis Setzer, Tom Hubert and Ted Musgrave.

In February 1999, the partnership between Elliott and Marino was dissolved and the No. 13 closed as a result. The No. 13 came back for the Daytona 500 with Dick Trickle, but didn't qualify.

Car No. 13 results

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
YearTeamNo.Make12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334NWCCPts
1998 Jerry Nadeau 13 Ford DAY
21
CAR
28
LVS
DNQ
ATL
32
DAR
31
BRI
37
TEX
DNQ
MAR
27
TAL
37
CAL
26
CLT
40
RCH
38
MCH
35
POC
21
SON
43
NHA
27
38th2326
Dennis Setzer DOV
DNQ
MCH
35
BRI
39
NHA
24
DAR
29
RCH
29
MAR
38
Wally Dallenbach Jr. POC
25
IND
40
Tom Hubert GLN
36
Ted Musgrave DOV
26
CLT
27
TAL
11
DAY
34
PHO
5
CAR
19
ATL
19
1999 Dick Trickle DAY
DNQ
CAR LVS ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO HOM ATL N/A-

Car No. 89 history

The 89 R&D car began as the No. 91 with Ron Barfield Jr. for the 1996 Brickyard 400. Barfield Jr. returned to the team, now the No. 92, for the 1997 Brickyard 400. A year later, the team was renumbered to the No. 89; driven by Dennis Setzer, it competed at the DieHard 500.

Car No. 89 results

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233NWCCPts
1996 Ron Barfield Jr. 91 Ford DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA POC TAL IND
DNQ
GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL N/A-
1997 92 DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR SON TAL CLT DOV POC MCH CAL DAY NHA POC IND
22
GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO ATL 54th97
1998 Dennis Setzer 89 DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL
19
CAL CLT DOV RCH MCH POC SON NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI NHA DAR RCH DOV MAR CLT TAL DAY PHO CAR ATL 56th106

Car No. 94 history

The #94 car driven by Elliott in 1997 BillElliott1997Pocono.jpg
The #94 car driven by Elliott in 1997

The team was originally owned by Charles Hardy and ran part-time with various drivers under the Charles Hardy Racing name with sponsorship from Buss Fuses. Kenny Wallace made the first start for the No. 44 at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing in the ninth position. Jimmy Hensley and Bobby Hillin Jr. ran the car later in the season, but neither finished in the top-ten. Wanting to own his own team, Elliott partnered with Hardy for the 1995 season to form Elliott-Hardy Racing. The new team premiered at the 1995 Daytona 500 as the No. 94 Ford with McDonald's sponsoring. Elliott's first year as an owner/driver was marked with eleven top-tens, two poles, and an eighth-place finish in the points. After a horrific crash in 1996 at Talladega Superspeedway, Elliott missed several races to recover from his injuries and was replaced by Dorsey Schroeder, Todd Bodine, Tommy Kendall, and Bobby Hillin Jr. In July 1996, the partnership between Elliott and Hardy was dissolved, the team being renamed Bill Elliott Racing. [1]

Returning full-time in 1997, Elliott had fourteen top tens and another eighth-place finish in points. His team also expanded to a multi-car operation that year when Ron Barfield drove the No. 92 New Holland Ford to a twenty-second-place finish at the Brickyard 400. Elliott's operation went multi-car full-time in 1998, teaming up with Dan Marino the team being renamed Elliott-Marino Racing. The year was marked with sadness when Elliott had to miss the fall Dover race to attend the funeral of his father. In his place was Matt Kenseth, who finished sixth in his debut Cup race.

After a disappointing 1999 season which saw his multi-car operation dissolve back into No. 94, Elliott announced in early 2000 he was selling his equipment to championship-winning crew chief Ray Evernham to become part of Dodge's return to NASCAR. The team would also switch to No. 9.

Car No. 94 results

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536NNCCPts
1994 Bobby Hillin Jr. 44 Ford DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT
DNQ
DOV POC MCH
14
DAY NHA POC IND
21
GLN MCH
40
BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT
15
CAR PHO
Kenny Wallace TAL
9
Jimmy Hensley ATL
12
1995 Bill Elliott 94 DAY
23
CAR
11
RCH
16
ATL
26
DAR
17
BRI
14
NWS
28
MAR
12
TAL
6
SON
19
CLT
39
DOV
15
POC
6
MCH
14
DAY
10
NHA
18
POC
5
TAL
5
IND
4*
GLN
11
MCH
9
BRI
23
DAR
41
RCH
14
DOV
18
MAR
6
NWS
10
CLT
20
CAR
10
PHO
14
ATL
4
1996 DAY
8
CAR
15
RCH
10
ATL
10
DAR
13
BRI
28
NWS
21
MAR
13
TAL
41
DAY
37
NHA
14
POC
21
TAL
13
IND
10
MCH
14
BRI
INQ
DAR
9
RCH
16
DOV
28
MAR
18
NWS
21
CLT
10
CAR
32
PHO
21
ATL
20
17th3347
Tommy Kendall SON
28
Todd Bodine CLT
36
DOV
15
POC
10
MCH
20
Ron Barfield Jr. MCH
QL
Dorsey Schroeder GLN
13
Bobby Hillin Jr. BRI
22
1997 Bill Elliott DAY
4
CAR
22
RCH
15
ATL
38
DAR
16
TEX
11
BRI
7
MAR
37
SON
32
TAL
18
CLT
4
DOV
8
POC
32
MCH
2
CAL
32
DAY
33
NHA
6
POC
10
IND
8
GLN
7
MCH
7
BRI
16
DAR
4*
RCH
30
NHA
11
DOV
8
MAR
5
CLT
7
TAL
13
CAR
12
PHO
15
ATL
36
8th3836
1998 DAY
10
CAR
6
LVS
9
ATL
11
DAR
15
BRI
15
TEX
13
MAR
12
TAL
39
CAL
43
CLT
14
DOV
13
RCH
25
MCH
6
POC
37
SON
12
NHA
26
POC
36
IND
12
GLN
27
MCH
40
BRI
19
NHA
37
DAR
11
RCH
40
MAR
7
CLT
11
TAL
19
DAY
15
PHO
38
CAR
12
ATL
26
16th3455
Matt Kenseth DOV
6
1999 Bill Elliott DAY
27
CAR
15
LVS
37
ATL
15
DAR
14
TEX
21
BRI
25
MAR
30
TAL
10
CAL
19
RCH
12
CLT
14
DOV
12
MCH
41
POC
32
SON
13
DAY
23
NHA
5
POC
39
IND
23
GLN
28
MCH
19
BRI
36
DAR
11
RCH
36
NHA
19
DOV
33
MAR
20
CLT
11
TAL
20
CAR
33
PHO
35
HOM
24
ATL
22
21st3246
2000 DAY
3
CAR
25
LVS
4
ATL
10
DAR
19
BRI
36
TEX
30
MAR
8
TAL
15
CAL
19
RCH
9
CLT
43
DOV
12
MCH
8
POC
38
SON
35
DAY
38
NHA
24
POC
32
IND
3
GLN
13
MCH
38
RCH
12
NHA
37
DOV
19
MAR
15
CLT
34
TAL
24
CAR
16
PHO
26
HOM
22
ATL
11
18th3410
David Green BRI
36
DAR
25
2004 Bill Elliott 98 Dodge DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY
18
CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI CAL
25
RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN CLT MAR ATL
22
PHO DAR HOM 67th109
- Qualified for Todd Bodine – Qualified but replaced by Bobby Hillin Jr.

Busch Series

Elliott made his first start as a Busch Series team owner in 1988, driving both races at Charlotte in his No. 9 Ford, his best finish being a seventh. Three years later, he drove two late-season races in the No. 84, finishing in the top-ten both times. His next ownership run would come in 1993, when he fielded the No. 94 in a pair of races for his nephew Casey, who had a best finish of 20th.

In 1996, Elliott's protégé Ron Barfield ran six races in Elliott's No. 94 New Holland Ford, garnering a best finish of 11th at Charlotte. He ran times the following season and had two ninth-place runs. Elliott's last race as a Busch owner came in 1998, when Jeff Fuller finished fifteenth in the No. 94 Chevrolet at the Jiffy Lube Miami 300.

Craftsman Truck Series

Elliott began fielding Truck entries in 1996 with the No. 94 Super 8 Motels Ford for Barfield. He had three top-tens in his first four starts, but only made a limited schedule of seven starts. He ran just one race in 1997, an eighth-place run at Walt Disney World Speedway. Late in the season, Elliott made one start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Team ASE Racing sponsoring, but he finished 31st after suffering engine problems.

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References

  1. "Elliott, Hardy split". Gadsden Times . Gadsden, AL. July 21, 1996. p. D4. Retrieved 2013-09-17.