Bill Elliott Racing “returns” for sponsorship reasons (2004)
Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).
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| A Diecast of the car, courtesy Trackside Signatures |
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Why? After retiring from full-time driving after the 2003 season, Bill Elliott prepared to run part-time for Evernham Motorsports in the #91 R&D car. One problem—Elliott had sponsorship from Coca-Cola, which conflicted with Evernham Associate sponsor Mountain Dew. To solve the issue, Elliott ran three races with Coca-Cola and McDonalds sponsorship under the banner of Bill Elliott Racing, previously used for his #94 car in the 1990s.
How successful were they? While this was very much a research and development operation, the results were still disappointing for a legend like Elliott, who finished 18th, 25th, and 22nd in his “self-owned” 98 Dodge.
What was the aftermath? Elliott (and his valuable past-champion’s provisional) would run for a number of different teams until he quietly retired from Cup competition following the 2012 season. All of them came for other owners—none in his own car.
Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 4 Coca-Cola C2’s out of 10—it wasn’t all THAT strange, but still, it’s great to see a former race team reborn for no other reason than a sponsorship conflict.
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Does this track have lights?
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