Before becoming stars at NASCAR’s top level, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth sharpened their skills in the Busch Series, which stops annually at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Bill Elliott chose to drive the other way in his 30th year of elite-level racing.
The 1988 Cup champion, who retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2003 season, will become PPIR’s most accredited stock-car guest when he competes in Saturday’s Busch race at the 1-mile oval in Fountain.
Elliott, 49, will drive a Dodge for the third time this season for RWI Racing, which is owned by retiring Nextel Cup veteran Rusty Wallace. Cup drivers Jamie McMurray and Jeremy Mayfield share duties behind the RWI wheel during overlap Busch Cup weekends. McMurray was fifth last weekend in Loudon, N.H.
“It was what Rusty and them needed,” Elliott said Thursday about deciding to drive at Pikes Peak. “Most of the time they got Jamie and Jeremy driving. But the way things fall this weekend, with the Busch guys here and the Cup guys at Pocono (Pa.), it’s so hard to go back and forth they just asked if I would do it. So here I am.”
RWI crew chief Blake Bainbridge said the team is “really pumped up” coming off McMurray’s finish last week.
“We’re taking a car to Pikes Peak that has a proven track record,” Bainbridge said, “so we’re looking for good things this weekend with Bill.”
Elliott has one victory in 39 career Busch races. He’s started twice this season, finishing 17th and 23rd.
But, he’s known better by his Cup résumé.
The Georgia native has 742 career Cup starts and is 14th all-time with 44 victories. He won the Daytona 500 in 1985 and 1987, and the Brickyard 400 in 2002.
Elliott is scheduled to drive in this year’s Cup race Aug. 7 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Ray Evernham Motorsports. Elliott said the competition he will face at Indy won’t be much stronger than what he will see this weekend.
“I’ve seen so many aspects of the sport – good, bad and indifferent,” Elliott said. “The only thing I see different in Busch and Cup is the length of the races. The competition is similarly tough. There’s some awful good cars in this series.”
Elliott is known for his charm and wit as much as his talent. He was named the Cup’s most popular driver a record 16 times by the National Motorsports Press Association. Last year, the NMPA renamed the award the Bill Elliott Trophy.
“This brings a new layer to the event, opens a few more eyes,” PPIR president Rob Johnson said of Elliott’s presence at what has been the track’s best-attended event, which drew nearly 40,000 last year. “We’ve used him throughout our marketing. He adds more credibility to the event, and it has showed in our sales. We’re ahead of where we were last year.”
This won’t be Elliott’s first race in Colorado. He said he once competed at Colorado National Speedway in Erie, but he doesn’t remember the year.
“The altitude isn’t going to be a big deal,” he said. “A racetrack is a racetrack. You just have to get comfortable. Then get fast. And then go from there. Rusty and them guys have a pretty good idea of how to run good here.”
Bill Elliott
Age: 49. Born: Dawsonville, Ga. Resides: Blairsville, Ga.
Career highlights: 44 Cup victories is 14th all-time and ninth in modern era (1972-present) … 55 career poles is third in the modern era behind Darrell Waltrip (59) and David Pearson (56) … Won the 1988 Fire Cracker 400 at Daytona, Fla., from the 38th starting position, tied for fourth deepest in NASCAR history. … His 742 career Cup starts is sixth-best all-time and third among active drivers … His career winnings of more than $37 million is eighth all-time … Named most popular driver by the National Motorsports Press Association a record 16 times. The award is now named the Bill Elliott Trophy.
See Elliott this weekend
Race: NASCAR Busch series’ Salute to the Troops 250
Where: Pikes Peak International Raceway
When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday; practice starts today at 9 a.m. with qualifying at 4:30 p.m.
Information: 888-306-7223 or ppir.com
Racing this weekend
What: NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR AutoZone Midwest Series
When: Today (qualifying) and Saturday (races)
Schedule: Today – Busch Series practice begins at 9 a.m.; qualifying starts at 4:30 p.m. Midwest Series practice begins at 12:10 p.m.; qualifying will follow Busch time trials. Saturday – Midwest Series driver introductions at 10 a.m.; 150-lap race begins at 10:30 a.m. Busch Series driver introduction start at 1 p.m.; 250-lap race begins at 1:30 p.m. (TNT)
Note: Tracy Lawrence and Cowboy Crush concert will begin after the Busch race at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
