“Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” has one of the best nicknames you’re ever going to hear. Sports Speaker Bill Elliott, or “Million Dollar Bill”, is one of the most famous and popular NASCAR drivers of all time! As his nickname depicts, he was born in Dawsonville, Georgia, where he hit the ground running… or rolling you could say. He started racing professionally in a car owned by his father by the time he was just 21 years old. Within four years, Bill had corporate sponsors – his career was kicking into full gear. Soon he was winning races left and right; in 1985, he won 11 out of 28 races and won the Winston million, earning him his nickname and $1,000,000. He would be one of only two people to ever win the original Winston million. His growing fame led him to being featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. In 1986, Sports Speaker Bill Elliott set the fastest average track time ever recorded in a NASCAR race, just over 212 mph! With the new restrictor plates, it is likely that his record will never be broken! This set the pace for a career of great success as a driver. While he isn’t officially retired, he has been quoted as saying that he “isn’t itching” to get back in a car.

With such a long and successful career under his belt, it comes as no surprise that he has many awards to show for it. In his 37 years of racing, he has driven in 871 races, winning 45 of them, and coming in the top ten for 336 of them. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers, and has been inducted into both the Motorsports Hall of Fame and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He also voted the Winston series’ most popular driver 16 times!