hearing Bill Elliott will run a limited schedule in a Ganassi Racing Dodge with a retro paint scheme, 1985 Coor’s.(1-17-2005)
UPDATE: hear the first race could be the Daytona 500.(1-18-2005)
UPDATE 2: Team owner Ray Evernham has given semi-retired veteran driver Bill Elliott permission to run the Feb. 12 Budweiser Shootout all-star race for a rival NASCAR Nextel Cup team, Chip Ganassi Racing. The Ganassi team had no official comment but has scheduled a news conference for today at Daytona International Speedway, where NASCAR teams are testing in preparation for the Feb. 20 Daytona 500. Evernham said Elliott’s decision to drive for another team doesn’t signal any sort of rift between the veteran driver and Evernham Motorsports. Evernham hired Elliott after leaving his job as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief to field his own team and prepare for Dodge’s return to NASCAR during the 2001 season. Elliott is scheduled to run between 10 and 12 races in a third Evernham [#91] car this season, with sponsorship from Stanley Tools [and Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper]. “We don’t have Bill locked-in (exclusively) or anything he’s sort of free to do what he wants,” Evernham said. However, Evernham added he “would prefer” that Elliott limit his association with Ganassi to only one race.(USA Today)(1-19-2005)
UPDATE 3 – Official: Coors Brewing Company will take a trip down memory lane during the Shootout at Daytona International Speedway when Bill Elliott makes a one-race appearance behind the wheel of a retro Coors Dodge. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will field a second entry in the Shootout for Elliott who was partnered with the team’s current sponsor Coors Brewing Company from 1984-1991. Elliott’s Dodge will sport the paint scheme that he earned the coveted Winston Million during the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup season.
“I am really looking forward to partnering back up with Coors Light,” Elliott said. “I think that this is a great opportunity and I really like running that race. I think it is also going to be fun to work with my brother Ernie. Ernie worked on my motors when I was just starting out. Now I get a chance to have him build my engines again and it is something I will thoroughly enjoy.”
“I think this is a great way to honor Coors Brewing Company’s history in racing,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “Coors had a long and successful affiliation with Bill and has been a sponsor with Felix and I since 1995. This is a great way to partner the company’s past and present for one night under the lights at Daytona. We look forward to having Bill in one of our cars and giving Coors this opportunity to celebrate the start of its 21st year in NASCAR.”
“We here at Coors Brewing Company are very excited about having Bill in the car and partnered up with us again for this one race,” said Steve Saunders, Director of Event Marketing for Coors Brewing Company. “He had an impressive eight seasons with Coors and won a championship while he was sponsored by us. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to run our two brands of beer Coors and Coors Light at Daytona International Speedway. First we have Elliott in the Coors car and Marlin in the Coors Light Dodge.” The Shootout is scheduled for Saturday, February 12th at Daytona International Speedway.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR). See an image of the car on my #39 Team Schemes page.(1-19-2005)
