Browse > Home / NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio / Lee Petty vs Bill Elliott: 64 Greatest NASCAR Drivers Round 2

Lee Petty vs Bill Elliott: 64 Greatest NASCAR Drivers Round 2

User Avatar

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

April 4, 2009 9:37 am EDT 10 Comments

Round two in the Bench Racing Region pits two guys who won in NASCAR with teams that started as family affairs and grew to legenday status. I wonder if the numbers will beat the popularity in the  NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

Lee Petty was, of course, the patriarch of the Petty clan. He’s also a three-time Cup Series Champ who had 54 wins - ninth best all-time - in his 427 starts from 1949 to 1964. Petty also won the first ever Daytona 500.

Bill Elliott - Awesome Bill from Dawsonville - 1988 Winston Cup champion. Steve should be writing this, since he worships Elliott, but it would be hard not to be positive about Bill. With 44 career wins, 55 poles and 320 top tens in 796 starts, Elliott is a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest driver club. Maybe though, he is most famous for his other nickname - Million Dollar Bill - given for winning the first ever Winston Million.

Elliott got by Speedy Thompson in round one while Lee Petty got the better of Kurt Busch. With three championships and all those wins, Petty will be tough. But Bill didn’t win NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award all those times without building up a fan base. Right Steve? Let us know what you think.

Filed under: Bill Elliott, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends, The Pettys 

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Comments

10 Responses to “Lee Petty vs Bill Elliott: 64 Greatest NASCAR Drivers Round 2”

  1. User Avatar Marc on April 4th, 2009 1:42 pm

    There’s a reason why Steve’s affectionately called the idiot.

    Lee Petty

  2. mike on April 4th, 2009 8:18 pm

    Lee Petty was one of the first to view racing as a business.. He won the first Daytona 500.. worked on his car, did the books and built an empire.. Bill was terrific.. I remember him making up 2 green flag laps at Talladega… But Bill could not win on the short tracks… and that is where a driver can really make the difference… Lee Petty, one of the top 10 drivers, PERIOD!!!

  3. User Avatar Steve Wronkowicz on April 4th, 2009 9:37 pm

    marc thanks for the affection, but you’re way off base on this one. Lee’s biggest contribution to NASCAR was marrying Elizabeth Toomes and creating Richard.

    Elliott still holds the fastest qualifying record in NASCAR. His championship was won at a time when more than five guys could win one. Elliott spearheaded Ford’s resurgence in NASCAR in the eighties; doing it from the family home in Georgia, far removed from the Charlotte epicenter.

    Awesome Bill should move on..

  4. Spaceman on April 5th, 2009 8:25 am

    Three championships to one, 54 victories to 44. Lee did on all types of tracks including dirt. Lee Petty all the way.

  5. User Avatar Matt Mercer on April 5th, 2009 9:15 am

    I’m going to break the trend and vote for Bill.

  6. Buddy Clay on April 7th, 2009 6:42 am

    Petty made the sport popular. Bill made it the place to be.
    Bill by a nose.

  7. User Avatar Charlie Turner on April 8th, 2009 11:16 pm

    I gotta go with Elliott or Steve will pout for weeks.

  8. User Avatar Charlie Turner on April 9th, 2009 6:27 pm

    Eddie Sharp Racing crew chief Patrick Donahue went with Bill Elliott during our interview with him March 31 On Pit Row. Listen to it on the Listen Live page.

  9. Mark on April 9th, 2009 6:27 pm

    awesome bill from dawsonville

  10. User Avatar Charlie Turner on April 9th, 2009 6:29 pm

    NASCAR.com’s Mark Aumann picked Lee Petty On Pit Row Tuesday April 7. Listen to Mark’s interview on the “Listen Live” page. And make sure you read Mark’s great “Retro Racing” columns at NASCAR.com

Got something to say?

Did you know you can log in with your Thunder Lounge account, and have your personal avatar and site link available when you comment at On Pit Row?

Don't have an account yet? Sign-up for free.





Powered by WP Hashcash

March Madness

Play the Rattles from the Catch Can contest

Blogroll

Fantasy Sports Partners

Racing Websites

ON PIT ROW at RaceTalkRadio
Backstretch Boys: 30% Off New CD!
Jayski's: See what the buzz is about.

We've got your game.

Advertisement