Former Cup champ Bill Elliott drives a limited schedule for Ray Evernham. Credit: Autostock

Elliott still gets awesome feeling from time to time

FORT WORTH, Texas -- There won't be many drivers in Sunday's Dickies 500 that won't be feeling a load of pressure when the green flag flies.

Fortunately for Bill Elliott -- who will start ninth -- any pressure he feels will be self-imposed.

	Dickies 500 Qualifying Results Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. R. Newman 192.947 27.987 2. J. Gordon 192.397 28.067 3. M. Kenseth 191.966 28.130 4. J. Nemechek 191.652 28.176 5. J. Mayfield 191.408 28.212 6. M. Bliss 191.333 28.223 7. G. Biffle 191.299 28.228 8. M. Martin 191.171 28.247 9. B. Elliott 191.029 28.268 10. Earnhardt Jr. 190.867 28.292 • Race Lineup, click here

"Sometimes performance at the end of the day is not what we're looking for," Elliott said. "Don't get me wrong. We want to run good, but what we're really looking for is that little extra for Ray [Evernham, car owner] to carry on to the future."

Which is fine with Elliott, who still wants to get his racing fix every now and then.

"I don't think I could have ever done it [given up racing] cold turkey," Elliott said. "I've done it for so many years, it's hard to get away."

However, the limited schedule Elliott is running these days still leaves something to be desired, specifically, the chance to run on several of his favorite racetracks.

"I miss Vegas," Elliott said. "It's just like when I didn't get to race Atlanta last week. At Atlanta early on when they first paved it, it was not a lot of fun to drive, but it's a fun racetrack today.

"I miss Martinsville," he said. "I had a good time there. I don't mind going to Daytona. I kinda like that racetrack, but I don't care anything about Talladega."

One other thing Elliott, the 1988 Cup champion, doesn't care much for is the way that NASCAR is crowning its Cup champion these days.

"You look at the whole deal and I still don't agree with locking 10 guys in for the final 10 races," Elliott said. "Well, what about the 11th-place guy. He's non-existent anymore. He could be in the top five if he had a good last 10 races and those five cars had a bad season.

	Bill Elliott finished 11th at Michigan in the No. 91 Dodge. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Bill Elliott 2005 Race Site Start Finish 2 Fontana 22 43 4 Atlanta 18 22 7 Texas 15 33 12 Charlotte 27 20 15 Michigan 10 35 21 Indianapolis 33 23 23 Michigan 29 11 25 Fontana 30 40

"Look at the top 10 today," he said. "Jeremy [Mayfield] is in the top 10, but he's had a run of bad luck. Look at Jamie McMurray. He's had a run of good luck. You take that into consideration and lock those guys out."

Despite the strong run Friday and the lack of pressure this weekend, Elliott, ever the realist, is expecting a tough go Sunday.

"The track has changed a lot," Elliott said. "Once you get the new off the tires, you're not going to run good. It's hard to get the car turning.

"If I could go back and run [the qualifying lap] again, I know I could get the car to go faster, but you don't have that option."

No matter. After Sunday, he'll be back to watching races at home with his son, interestingly named Chase.

"Watching racing through him is a whole different avenue," Elliott said. "I'm not racing, but seeing it through him is a different deal.

"He's been go-kart racing and I've been wrenching the car. I don't know if that's a bad thing or a good thing, but I've been hanging out with him. He's young and new at it. Watching him make mistakes is pretty fun. He's done a good job. I'm proud of him."