Awesome Bill’s thrilling triumph was 30 years ago
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On May 5, 1985, Bill Elliott started from the pole and won his first race at Talladega Superspeedway.
There’s much, much more to that story, however.
Perhaps the most improbable comeback win in NASCAR’s rich history, Sunday’s GEICO 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX) will mark the 30th anniversary of Elliott’s amazing run in the 1985 Winston 500 where he made up more than a 5-mile deficit — without the benefit of a caution period — to capture the impossible triumph.
Elliott, with smoke billowing from under his Ford Thunderbird’s hood, was within a few hundred yards of going two laps down to the leaders on the 2.66-mile track after taking an unscheduled pit stop to make repairs to an oil fitting line. Elliott climbed all the way back to the front and rocketed to Victory Lane.
That unexpected 1985 pit stop, which occurred on Lap 48 after Elliott had already led 25 laps — he wound up leading 60 total — lasted 1 minute and 9 seconds, putting the Dawsonville, Georgia, native within shouting distance of falling two laps down. He began his march up the leaderboard by turning laps nearly a second faster than the leaders, banking that his brother’s (Ernie Elliott) prepared engine would last. Ninety-seven laps later on Lap 145, he passed Cale Yarborough down the Alabama Gang Superstretch for the lead.
“I will never forget that day in 1985,” said Elliott, who topped the scoreboard 35 of the last 44 circuits, including the final 20. “I remember coming down pit road and our guys dealing with the oil line issue. We went back out and ran wide open and I was totally shocked the motor lived all day long; totally shocked.
“We were a bunch of misfits put together, 12 of us total on the team, and that included the motor shop and the chassis shop. Most of the guys who pitted the car came in on weekends. We all had a good understanding of the race cars, though. It seems like it was yesterday.”
Elliott’s margin of victory was 1.72 seconds ahead of a pack of cars, including Kyle Petty, who edged Yarborough at the start/finish line for second. He averaged a then-record of 186.288 mph in the race, which only had two cautions, both late in the event. The trip to Victory Lane was his first at Talladega, and he added to his legacy two years later with another victory.
“I about kissed everything goodbye because I didn’t know what happened when it started missing there (and engine started smoking),” the 16-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver said on that momentous day in 1985. “But, they raised the hood and got it fixed faster than I thought they would. It felt like I sat there six or 10 laps. I worked my tail off to try and keep up. I just kept on digging. This old car kept on digging. I want to thank the good Lord for making up those laps. The old car just held together and worked.”
Last week, Elliott celebrated his tremendous 30-year accomplishment by donning a helmet, firing up the engine of that famed red, white and gold Ford that made him a legend, and made hot laps around NASCAR’s biggest and baddest track. The car’s engine hadn’t been cranked since it was put on display at the nearby International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1986.
“It felt like a million bucks (being back in his historic car),” Elliott said in a press release. “I really miss the competitive side of racing week-in and week-out. I ran so many laps around this race track and tested here so many times in my career. It feels like it was yesterday I was racing here.”
The NASCAR Hall of Famer made five laps around the track, then drove to Victory Lane and was presented a replica trophy from 30 years ago.
“The car actually drove surprisingly well. I don’t know how fast I went — couldn’t see for some dirt blowing in my eyes. I think that is the way I drove here in ’85 — with my eyes closed most of the race, so I was right at home. I wanted to go faster but the oil temp went up a bit and I said ‘it (the engine) isn’t going to live long.’ “
When asked if he wanted to come out of retirement to compete at Talladega again, Elliott joked, “I want to come back Sunday (for the GEICO 500). Don’t tell anyone. I hope the car gets through inspection.”