Fort Worth: Bill Elliott preview

Bill Elliott
No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T

RACING AT TEXAS
"It's funny. Everyone asks what this track is like. They say it's supposed to be like Charlotte and I agree a little, but I think it's more of a combination. I think it's more like a Darlington-Charlotte. The corners are different than Charlotte and Atlanta. It's going to be interesting with the new surface. They say it's going to be fast. We didn't test there so we'll just have to wait and see."

COMING BACK AFTER THE OFF WEEKEND
"The off weekend is valuable for everyone. It's important to get a little break. We don't get to spend many weekends at home with our families so it's nice when the schedule allows it."

MORE ON TEXAS
"We're hammering away at this deal. I haven't had a lot of luck at Texas but the No. 9 Dodge should be good. The track can be a little unforgiving at times but we should be fine. The new surface will make it a little different. We've been running pretty consistent through these first five or six races. We were testing this week at Martinsville and the No. 19 was in Talladega testing before the off weekend. We'll just keep chipping away at it. If we keep doing what we're doing, we'll be fine."

STATS & FACTS

* Bill Elliott has five starts at Texas. He finished just outside the top 10 twice. In 1997 and 1998, he finished 11th and 13th, respectively.

* If Elliott finishes in the top 10 this weekend, it will mark his 297th top-10 finish in his career.

* In last year's Harrah's 500 at Texas, Elliott avoided danger all day to move up 25 spots after starting 39th. His 14th place finish was his third best at Texas Motor Speedway. Elliott was forced to use a provisional to start the race after he cut a tire on the first lap of his qualifying run. Elliott and his team relied on smart pit strategy and solid driving to keep the No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T out of the eight accidents that occurred throughout the day. He went down two laps at one point, but worked his way back to the first car off the lead lap.

* Two weeks ago at Bristol, Elliott spent the day making up track position after starting the day in the 30th spot. He managed to keep the No. 9 Dodge Intrepid R/T on the lead lap for the first part of the race while his patient driving kept him out of the trouble. Elliott finished just one lap down in 21st place. He moves up a spot in the Winston Cup points standings to the 13th position, just 45 points out of the top 10.

* Elliott's pole position this year at Atlanta was his first pole at the track since November 1991. It was his 52nd career Bud Pole in 663 Winston Cup races, placing him sixth behind Bobby Allison in all-time Winston Cup career poles (Elliott ranks first among active drivers). With 45 superspeedway poles, Elliott ranks third behind Cale Yarborough (46) and is the leader among active drivers. Elliott's most recent pole prior to last weekend came at Homestead in November of 2001.

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