Awesome Bill from Dawsonville: My Life in NASCAR [Hardcover]

Bill Elliott (Author), Chris Millard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2006

In this long-awaited autobiography, the legendary Bill Elliott details his childhood in rural North Georgia, building cars from scratch, struggling on the anonymous small-time tracks of the South to his against-the-odds rise to the pinnacle of NASCAR stardom: Winston Cup Champion.

From Daytona to Talladega, from Bristol to Sonoma, ride shoulder to shoulder with Elliott as he battles Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Alan Kulwicki for NASCAR's ultimate prize. Through Elliott's eyes we meet the colorful cast of old-school characters who built NASCAR: Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, the Allisons, Carl Kiekhaefer, and, of course, the France family. We join Bill in the car (and under it) as he sets the all-time record for the fastest official speed ever recorded in a stock car (a record he still holds today).

Learn the secret—revealed for the first time—behind the Elliott family's unquestioned mastery of the sport's super speedways. Watch NASCAR grow from a southern diversion into a national phenomenon, and see Bill Elliott grow with it, ultimately becoming one of the sport's most popular heroes. In 1985 Elliott captured the inaugural Winston Million and became the first NASCAR driver ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Three years later he captured the Winston Cup Championship. He went on to be voted NASCAR Driver of the Decade for the 1980s by NASCAR fans. He was also voted Most Popular Driver sixteen times.

Elliott also shares his thoughts on the dark side of the racing life: the stresses it can place on relationships, the ever-present physical risks, and the weight of fame. He addresses the racing-related deaths of competitors and friends. He is candid and critical in discussing the intense rivalry between him and the late Dale Earnhardt, and he sheds new light on their storied relationship as well as on Earnhardt's shocking death. Elliott discusses the future of NASCAR with critiques of its management and restrictor plates, and he takes on the controversial issues of track and driver safety.

A window into the compelling personality of Bill Elliott, as well as a primer on the ascent of America's fastestgrowing sport, this is the definitive insider's view of the rising NASCAR nation.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Elliott and his wife, Cindy, split their time between Georgia and Colorado.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061125733
• ISBN-13: 978-0061125737
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,236,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The life and times of my favorite driver, October 28, 2006

By 

Allen W. Law (Moore, OK United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Awesome Bill from Dawsonville: My Life in NASCAR (Hardcover)

This is the book I've been waiting a long time to get. It's the life story of Bill Elliott, 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup champion and winner of 44 races, 55 pole positions and 16 Most Popular Driver awards. "Awesome Bill" is also a down to earth, real person who shows that hard work can get you to the top.

This autobiography, written with Chris Millard, tells of a hard-working family from the hills of north Georgia that has a need for speed. In order to keep his boys out of trouble, George Elliott, father to Ernie, Dan and Bill, work them very hard in the family business. And when it's time to play, they race at the local dirt tracks. As their hard work and hard racing begins to pay off, they eventually land in the late 70's version of NASCAR, with big cars, big engines and big hair. It takes several years before he is able to win at the highest level, but he quickly becomes a fan favorite. Red haired Bill and his brothers, who run the team, eventually are able to become champions by modeling others driver's consistency over the long season.

The Elliott's story is mainly full of hard work but also has encountered victory and defeat; death and life; good and bad family decisions; raising hell and finding meaning. In a sport where it's almost an accepted practice to "bump and run" or grind or intimidate your opponent, Bill Elliott was successful on skill and clean racing.

Bill raises many concerns with the stance of NASCAR's safety record, culminating in the death of Dale Earnhardt. His wife Cindy is also a strong voice in the safety of today's drivers.

Bill, now 50, still races part-time and is spending more time at home with his youngest child, his son Chase, who is a budding racer.

I've been a big fan of Bill Elliott since I was a kid watching those pre-restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega on TV.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Elliotts and NASCAR, a personal history., December 19, 2006

By 

R. Manning "Just a guy" (Georgia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Awesome Bill from Dawsonville: My Life in NASCAR (Hardcover)

I have been a NASCAR fan since before it was NASCAR. I can remember going with my Daddy to races at Daytona, FL when they were held on a course that was part beach and part paved road. I loved racing then and I love it now. The primeval growl of the engines, the excitement of head to head finishes and the spectacle of it all still thrills me as much today as it did when I was seven years old.

During all that time I never pulled for one particular driver over the others, that is until Bill Elliott and his brothers Dan and Ernie came on the scene in the late 1970's. Their outfit was so rag-tag at first that you just could not help but root for them. It became a habit for me and for a lot of other people. Then along about 1984 the Elliotts begin to win races! At first just one here and there and later lots of them. They won the first Winston Million in 1985 along with eleven super speedway races, a NASCAR record that stands today, and eleven poles. Three years later the Elliotts won the 1988 Winston Cup Championship, beating a very determined Rusty Wallace by just a few points. During a career that has spanned over twenty-five years the Elliotts have set closed course speed records at Talladega, won the "Most Popular Driver" NASCAR award a record number of times, won forty-four NASCAR races and over seventy-three-million dollars in purses. The Elliotts became the best known family of any sport in the world. Bill Elliott is the first NASCAR driver to ever appear on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE. All this was accomplished while working their magic in a tiny operation just outside of Dawsonville, GA. Racing against the likes of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Bobby Allison and most of the biggest names in NASCAR, the shy red-headed country boy William Clyde Elliott became the superstar athlete "Awesome Bill form Dawsonville."

The National Association of Stock Car Racing, NASCAR, owes much of its current popularity to the Elliott Family. As the Elliotts grew in the hearts of their fans so did NASCAR grow from a regional, little appreciated sport into the worldwide multi-billion dollar industry it is today. In his book, Awesome Bill From Dawsonville, My Life in NASCAR, co-written by Bill Elliott and Chris Millard, Mr. Elliott details the hardships and glories that a professional racecar driver can experience. While this book is about racing, it is more about the relationships between the three Elliott brothers, Ernie, the oldest, Dan, the middle brother, Bill the youngest brother and their father, George, and the bonds of family that held their operation together.

As literature, Awesome Bill From Dawsonville, My life in NASCAR, ain't Shakespeare, but, it works very well as the story of three brothers who make good, and of their father who instilled in them the virtues of hard work, honesty and drive. This is not exactly a "rags to riches" story, but it serves as a reminder to all of us that you get out of life in exact proportion to what you put into it. The Elliotts never dreamed that they would one day be at the pinnacle of their sport, but through hard work, some good breaks and family loyalty they made it. The Elliotts will go down in autosports history as one of the finest families in NASCAR. Their red and gold number nine Thunderbird is forever etched in automobile racing history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Bill from Dawsonville: My Life in NASCAR, January 3, 2007

By 

K. Dougher (liverpool ny) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Awesome Bill from Dawsonville: My Life in NASCAR (Hardcover)

Great Book! Bill is funny and witty. Easy to read. He's just a man from a small town that made it big by working his tail off. NASCAR is just not the same without him. Highly recommend reading this book if you're a fan of Bill's!