Bill Elliott says he's happy with where his career and life are at right now. Credit: Autostock

On his terms

Semi-retirement a lot of fun for relaxed Elliott

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Speedweeks' first Nextel Cup Series action is less than an hour away, and Bill Elliott may as well be on a picnic.

He's leaning easily against a stack of tires in the new-look Daytona International Speedway garage, that trademark mop of red hair whipping in the breeze and a serious case of perma-grin on his face.

Who can blame him? The man is totally pressure-free.

	Awesome shot Bill Elliott's career record in what's now known as the Budweiser Shootout Year Start Finish 1982 3 10 1983 1 3 1985 8 3 1986 6 2 1987 1 1 1988 6 5 1989 13 12 1990 4 5 1991 11 4 1992 4 7 1993 4 9 1994 11 7 1995 10 3 1996 13 8 1998 7 3 2001 13 12 2002 5 18 2003 13 16 2004 10 14

No appearances to run off to. No points championship to worry about. Heck, he doesn't even care about next week's Daytona 500.

"I think I like where I'm at real well right now," he said, chuckling about the perks of semi-retirement. "You know all good things have got to come to and end, and after running as long as I have in this sport, and giving as much as I have to this sport, it's time to turn around and enjoy life."

The plan is working. Elliott retired from full-time competition following a resurgent 2003 season, with hopes of running 10 to 12 events last year. Lack of sponsorship disallowed that, and he only made six starts in '04.

He'll take what he can get in '05, starting with the Budweiser Shootout Saturday night in a Coors-sponsored Ganassi Dodge.

He ranked ninth-fastest out of 19 cars in Friday's first Shootout practice session, but dipped to 19th out of 20 in the second round. Joe Nemechek and Jeff Gordon paced both practices and appear to be the cars to beat come Saturday night.

There were a pair of setbacks Friday, one in each session. In the first session, Kasey Kahne was in a gaggle of cars, just ahead of Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart, when the motor blew in the No. 9 Dodge.

No one else was collected.

"I was in a real heavy pack. Two cars were in front of me, and the rest were behind," Kahne said. "I just stayed up high and hoped everybody would go low. Everybody did.

"It was pretty easy to miss. I didn't move around much. I just stayed up by the wall and stayed out of the way. The car looks good. We've just got to get out there and get some drafting practice."

Kahne ranked seventh in a second session that saw Casey Mears take a spin. Mears struggled in the first practice, posting the 16th-quickest time, but improved to third in the second session (two-hundredths of a second off of Nemechek's pace) before making contact with Rudd and spinning out.

Minimal damage was done to the left front fender on the Target Dodge, as well as Rudd's right-front fender.

"Casey came over and apologized. I guess he made a mistake and it's very easy to make a mistake when you're running three-wide like that," Rudd said.

Kasey Kahne's No. 9 team was forced to change its car's engine, so Kahne will start Saturday's Bud Shootout from the rear. Credit: Autostock

"It's pretty intense. I'd say he slipped up and made a mistake and I guess we're lucky the damage isn't worse than what it is."

Rudd was fifth in the second practice, down a spot from earlier.

Tires also played a part in Friday's action, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeremy Mayfield both suffered through unusual tire wear that nearly put them in accidents. Nemechek also complained of tire problems.

No matter for Elliott. There's no pressure.

Elliott is having fun -- on his terms.

"When I was walking over here I thought, 'I'm really fortunate to be where I'm at'" Elliott said. "To be able to come in here and pick and choose. There's a lot of good things going on, even though I am backing up and running on a limited schedule.

"I felt like I could probably race several more years. But then you look at it and say, 'Why put yourself through it each and every week?' I think that's the biggest thing about walking away from this stuff -- being able to drop that pressure of competing each and every week on a have-to basis, because that's the hardest part of this sport."