@richard-guido13 years ago
Great pic Andy. My favorites file is getting a work out. Bill changed to face of NASCAR in this race ....
@cody-dinsmore13 years ago
A little known fact about this race (1985 Daytona 500) is that as most of us know....Nascar used to and still favor certain drivers. This wasn't the case for Bill Elliott. In fact, Nascar very much disliked most drivers from Georgia because figured that they must have roots to moonshine, which Nascar didn't want to be proved. So during this race, Bill and Darrell Waltrip were the only two cars on the lead lap. At one time, bill had around a 45 second lead over DW, which equals to almost lapping him. Nascar decided to black flag Elliott for 43 seconds to put black tape over the headlight insert. Who know what the reason behind that was? I believe they told his crew chief and brother Ernie, that it would give the cars better down force. So anyway, now Bill was near the end of the lead lap (around 30th or so) Bill went back out and showed Nascar....he made his way back to the front to win the race!Take That Nascar!-Cody
@richard-guido13 years ago
I'm not so sure about NASCAR having a problem with drivers from Georgia and if not mistaken the headlamp incident took place during a caution.The deal was that NASCAR did not like someone blowing the field away in the Daytona 500 like Petty did in 1964. Of course Bill came back in 1987 and won Daytona again but this time he made it look a little better and actually stated that he had to race in this one althoughsecond place finisher Benny Parsons remarked that Bill was just playing with us.One thing I am sure of concerning Bill's "87" Daytona win is that he beat the best in the business at Big D.
Great pic Andy. My favorites file is getting a work out. Bill changed to face of NASCAR in this race ....
A little known fact about this race (1985 Daytona 500) is that as most of us know....Nascar used to and still favor certain drivers. This wasn't the case for Bill Elliott. In fact, Nascar very much disliked most drivers from Georgia because figured that they must have roots to moonshine, which Nascar didn't want to be proved. So during this race, Bill and Darrell Waltrip were the only two cars on the lead lap. At one time, bill had around a 45 second lead over DW, which equals to almost lapping him. Nascar decided to black flag Elliott for 43 seconds to put black tape over the headlight insert. Who know what the reason behind that was? I believe they told his crew chief and brother Ernie, that it would give the cars better down force. So anyway, now Bill was near the end of the lead lap (around 30th or so) Bill went back out and showed Nascar....he made his way back to the front to win the race!Take That Nascar!-Cody
I'm not so sure about NASCAR having a problem with drivers from Georgia and if not mistaken the headlamp incident took place during a caution.The deal was that NASCAR did not like someone blowing the field away in the Daytona 500 like Petty did in 1964. Of course Bill came back in 1987 and won Daytona again but this time he made it look a little better and actually stated that he had to race in this one althoughsecond place finisher Benny Parsons remarked that Bill was just playing with us.One thing I am sure of concerning Bill's "87" Daytona win is that he beat the best in the business at Big D.