Chase Elliott Looks Back at the Rare Childhood Memories of His Father Bill’s Iconic Career That Inspired Him to Be a Race Car Driver

Over the years, NASCAR has had its iconic father-son duos that captivated its massive fanbase. While Dale Earnhardt Sr–Dale Earnhardt Jr and Richard Petty-Kyle Petty are some of the well-known father-son duos in the sport, “Million Dollar Bill” and his son, the golden boy of NASCAR certainly enjoy a different league of popularity.

While Bill Elliott, often dubbed “Awesome Bill” or “Million Dollar Bill” set the track on fire back in the day after an illustrious NASCAR career, racking up almost all of the sport’s accolades including the prestigious Daytona 500, Southern 500, and the iconic Winston 500, his son, Chase Elliott is enjoying his time on the track, reliving his father’s legacy as the 2020 Cup Series champ is on a comeback trail after his unfortunate accident.

Recently, NASCAR released a heartwarming video wherein the Hendrick Motorsports driver goes down memory lane as he vividly recalls his father’s glorious past. Elliott reflected on the renowned combo of his father, Ray Evernham, and Dodge.

Chase Elliott blasts to the past as he vividly recalls “Awesome Bill!”

1985 was the year, Bill Elliott skyrocketed into fame, the year almost was surreal for the driver with 11 race wins and 11 poles out of the 28 races that year. While Elliott earned his first million-dollar paycheck as he took home the first-ever Winston million at Southern 500 that later got him the nickname “Million Dollar Bill,” young Chase born 10 years later missed most of the action.

But young Elliott’s racing instincts kicked hard when he visited his father on track in the early 2000s. He said, “Those couple of years he spent over at Ray’s place in the early 200s was really the time that I was just old enough to kind of start to learn what was going on and realize how cool racing was,”

The now 27-year-old HMS speedster recalls the iconic Winston Cup Series, Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono where we witnessed the wholesome moment when a young Elliott was checking out his father’s Red Dodge on the track. “I have some memories of him winning at Pocono,” but the then young kid could not remember his father acing at Homestead but could not forget the emotion that day as the whole camp fuming over the last minute twist.

“I think it was the next year, he was leading and blew a tire on the last lap and I think Bobby Labonte went on to win because I remember how mad everybody at our camp was but it was a special year,” said Elliott.

Furthermore, Chase Elliott also revealed how everything fell into the right place following his father’s “not-so-great” venture.

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Elliott names the iconic combination that brought the legend back on track after a bitter solo venture

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While 1985 was the year, Bill Elliott etched his name into the history of the sport, the 1990s saw the driver’s fall from grace as Elliott went on a winless 1993 season, finishing 8th. 1994 wasn’t much different as Elliott could only earn a single victory that season. Soon Elliott left the Junior Johnson & Associates to start his own team where he’ll play the double role of owner/driver.

Consequently, Elliott formed his new team, Elliott-Hardy Racing, even re-badging the iconic #9 to the new #94 badging in honor of his cousin, Casey Elliott who at the time was battling cancer. During this period, Elliott could manage only 2 top-10 finishes while the 1996 Talladega got the best of him as he suffered a horrific crash, shaving off a couple of his races that season.

While this gradual downfall came to an end in the early 2000s when Bill Elliott sold his equipment to championship-winning crew chief and friend, Ray Evernham to be part of Dodge’s return to the sport, Evernham Motorsports. Reflecting on this aspect of the past, Chase Elliott revealed the peculiar combination that got the legendary driver back on track.

Elliott said, “It was a special couple of years and he was having a lot of fun and had come off a not-so-good experience doing his own team and got back with a really good situation there with Ray and Dodge coming in and all those things and you know the stars just kind of aligned, he was older than a lot of guys at the time but got in that right situation with the right people and they had a lot of success and a lot of fun.”

READ MORE: “Thinking You Are Behind”—Kyle Petty Unravels Chase Elliott’s Bitter Dilemma Amid His Rollercoaster Season

Now with his son making his return to the track after an unfortunate snow boarding accident in March, the 2020 Cup Series champion is certainly looking to carry forward his father’s legacy.