When the NASCAR Winston Cup Series visited Rockingham at the start of 2000, it marked the 25th anniversary of Bill Elliott's start in major-league Grand National (Winston Cup) racing. Just 20 years old, Bill took the family-owned Ford and put it in the field.
Unfortunately, his thrilling day lasted only 32 laps before the car was retired, earning him a 33rd in the record books. It may have been a bad start, but it only got worse before it got better. The next time the team made it into a race was at Atlanta Motor Speedway near the Elliott homestead in Dawsonville, Georgia. Bill's car was the first one out of the race with just 21 laps completed before the car was parked with driveshaft problems. Talladega wasn't much better--a 38th and only 23 laps.
While driving Bill Champion's No. 10, Elliott broke into the top 20 at Daytona in his first run at the track. He started 38th and stayed in the hunt to come home 19th. He raced Champion's car a few more times and ended up with a total of eight starts in his first Winston Cup (Grand National). He was credited with 41st in the final point standings, but the seed had been planted.
Gradually, his appearances started increasing and so did his money earnings, to the point where he became a full-time racer by 1983. His accomplishments throughout the '80s have been well chronicled as he parlayed those troublesome beginnings into championships and nearly unmatched popularity.