Awesome Bill from Dawsonville: My Life in NASCAR

by Bill Elliott, Chris Millard

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 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 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 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.

Genres: Racing, Sports, Biography, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

He is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like a good book to read right after moving to Georgia, and when a gentleman in Bojangles saw me with a copy he told me of knowing the family.

Bill Elliott's one of the 15 best Winston Cup drivers of all time, and with a couple breaks he could be a 3-time champ rather than a 1-time champ. He won it all in '87 but in many ways '85 was more impressive - a dozen guys running a shop in rural Georgia won 11 races and the Winston Million. That'll never happen again.

The man worked hard; he doesn't like Darrell Waltrip; his son Chase is a top-notch talent; and he has a good point about Nascar shamefully turning safety over to individual tracks rather than hiring experts to go from track to track like the drivers and crews. A solid read for fans of the sport when it was good.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to learn more about his racing journey and learn about his life. Not a bad book, but had a hard time not comparing it to another NASCAR driver's memoir.
Unsure how I feel about Bill and the book. Seems to be a very straight forward thinker and talker. What he thinks is what he says. Seems to take a lot of the changes in NASCAR rules to be because they wanted to slow him down and keep the racing favorites in line to win. Which, NASCAR has a history of favoritism, but the changes with restrictor plates seems to be more about safety to keep cars from flying up into the stands from their speed.
Would only recommend to older NASCAR fans because it may be hard to get into if they don't know who he was talking about.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read.

[Perry Van Wesel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older book detailing the life of Bill Elliott. And you'll notice that it's older. And especially the end feels rushed

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big NASCAR fan and Bill Elliott was one of my favorite drivers. I am now following his so Chase who is competing in the Cup series. Actually, my favorite driver is Kasey Khane, who was Bill's teammate when he started driving in a Cup car. Anyway, I found the book entertaining and full of information about the way NASCAR does business. I give it 5 stars.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rated the book lower mainly for style over content. I found it rather repetitive in spots. Some interesting stories. I would be interested to know how much input was Bill Elliott's and how much was the co-authors.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book. If you are a NASCAR fan I highly recommend it.