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

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 UTC 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: Awesome Bill, Lee Peety, Million Dollar Bill, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award, Winston Cup, Winston Million

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Speedy Thompson vs Bill Elliott: NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Match Up

by Charlie Turner

March 21, 2009 4:41 pm UTC 8 Comments

Two great nicknames and equally impressive resumes are paired up in this one. Who moves on to the round of 32 – Awesome Bill or Speedy – in the NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

Alfred “Speedy” Thompson won 20 times and had 106 top tens in 198 Cup Series starts from ’50 to ’71. Thompson ‘s best points finish was third which he did three times.He died in a crash caused by a suspected heart attack. Speedy Thompson was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest drivers in 1998.

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.