Darlington II: Bill Elliott preview

BILL ELLIOTT NO. 9 DODGE DEALERS INTREPID R/T

RUNNING AT DARLINGTON
"Darlington can be tough. It helps if you've been around it a few times. We've had some good runs there in the Dodge. I don't know what it is, but I always seem to have better runs at the Southern. You always hear about how abrasive the track can be that's why tires are important here. They fall off so fast because of that. It really helps if you know how to conserve them. I'm sure that will be important this weekend as well."

SOUTHERN 500
"I want to win any race, it doesn't matter where it is. This race is one of the bigger ones on the circuit, but like I said after Indy, no one race is more important than another. We just have to keep doing what we're doing. If we do that, then we'll continue to be competitive and put ourselves in position to win races."

WINNING THE MILLION
"It was a pretty big deal back then. It was the first time that it was done and that created a lot of excitement about it. Things got a little out of hand leading up to the race but we kind of got them under control by the time we got to Darlington, the media and all the attention. We just tried to concentrate on the car and doing what we needed to do. It is definitely a highlight in my career and one people still seem to talk about."

POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING UNDER LIGHTS AT DARLINGTON
"Everyone seems to like racing under the lights. They're always big races for the fans, just like Bristol. Doing it during the holiday weekend would create a lot of excitement I'm sure."

RACE NOTES

* Bill Elliott and the No. 9 Dodge Squad will bring the Dodge Intrepid R/T that qualified and finished 2nd at Dover this year.

* This Sunday Bill Elliott will celebrate his 50th visit to one of his best tracks, Darlington Raceway. After 49 appearances at the track, Elliott leads all active drivers with five Bud Poles and is tied with Jeff Gordon for the most victories (five) among active drivers. He also leads all modern-era drivers in top-fives (20) and top 10s (32) at the track. Elliott's 9.16 average finish at Darlington is best among all active drivers.

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