Pepsi 400
Daytona International Speedway

Elliott Can't Shake Bad Luck, Finishes 38th at Daytona
July 1, 2000 - Before you read any further, I just want to clarify that this is not a repeat of a previous race report, though they are starting to all sound the same.

It seems that Bill Elliott and the Drive-Thru Crew have a car able to visit Victory Lane most every week, but something seems to derail the McDonald's team in some fashion. This weekend at Daytona was no exception.

After a strong qualifying effort and fast practice speeds, Elliott fans were feeling that this would be Elliott's chance to break that 177 race winless streak. Once the green flag flew on the Pepsi 400, Elliott did not dissapoint.

Starting third, Elliott was hung out to dry by himself on the second lap, falling back to 10th before he could get back in line. Not discouraged, Elliott would pass three cars on the next lap and work his way back into third place by lap five.

The first five cars started to break away from the second pack of cars, until one car couldn't keep up and reduced the number to four. Around lap 26, Elliott reported that the car was tight and that his engine temperatures were running high. Trying to get clean air to the engine, Elliott would break out of the draft in the corners and run high up on the track, keeping the temperature stable.

The event's first caution flag would fly on lap 52 with Elliott solidly in third. On the pit stop, the crew would have a fast stop, making adjustments with air pressure in the tires. Elliott would return to the track in third but would move to second after a Rusty Wallace penalty for speeding leaving pit road. Elliott then reported that the engine temperature had reached over 250 degrees during the pit stop but returned to normal once back on the track.

Needing the clean air, Elliott dove under Dale Jarrett and took the lead on lap 57. Elliott would lead a six-car break-a-way until the caution flag returned on lap 81. The Drive-Thru Crew would provide Elliott with another excellent stop, returning the McDonald's Ford to the track in second, behind Ward Burton who changed only two tires.

On lap 93, Elliott dove underneath Burton and charged back into the lead. This time, the first four cars started to break away from the pack, with Elliott looking very strong.

With the laps winding down, Elliott appeared as if the win would be his, needing only one more pit stop for gas. The yellow flag would reappear at lap 105, giving Elliott the chance to make the only pit stop that he would need to finish the race. The crew changed four tires and filled the 94 Taurus with gas, making no adjustments on the car. Elliott would restart the event in seventh place, behind six cars who chose to take only two tires.

On the restart on lap 111, Elliott would again get hung out of the draft, and fall back to the 15th position. Elliott then worked his way back to 11th by lap 113 and was working in the top ten when disaster struck. That is when Bill's old nemisis Lady Luck showed up wearing blue and yellow.

After Mark Martin was pushed down onto the apron, Elliott tried to make room to let the six car back in line. About that time, Mike Skinner punted the 94 Ford hard into the outside wall.

"Mark was plum down in the grass," said Elliott. "I checked just a little bit, and somebody hit me in the right rear and I went head-on in the wall. Somewhere about three-fourths the way down the back straightaway, I mean just turned me dead right. This is aggravating racing. This ain't racing. This is just going out there and riding around."

After leading for 42 laps, Elliott's day was finished. A frustrated Elliott emerged from the battered car and thrust his hands in the air. Elliott then sought out the 31 car of Skinner to point an accusing finger and let Mike know that he was not a happy camper.

Skinner said, "We hit him (Bill Elliott). I got hit in the side coming off the corner over there. Another car was leaking real bad, and it was hard to judge. It was really dark right there, and I just got into him. It was our fault. I expected to win, too, and Bill has wrecked us before. It was no way a payback. I get along real good with Bill Elliott. We race together every week. The only thing I can say is I'm terribly sorry. It was an accident. I didn't go in there and wreck Bill Elliott on purpose. I never have and never would. Deepest apologies. It's happened to us, and it's happened to him before. It's not the first day on the job. If you can't win, you take what you can get at these places. I feel really, really bad about what happened with Bill. Like I said, Bill has wrecked us before. It's happened to us. It's happened to him. I feel terrible. He had a good car. We obviously had a good car or we wouldn't have been up there passing him."

Elliott's aggravation was obvious, stating, "Well, it's a part of Daytona. It's the junk you have to put up with down here when you come down here, but I'm alright. We'll go to Loudon."

Another week, another good car, another unhappy week for the 94 team. Elliott would be credited with a 38th place finish in the Pepsi 400.

"This race track, it ain't like Talladega. You've gotta handle here. The cars, it looked like to me, got tight and that was it. Nobody could pass anybody, but that's kind of the way Daytona has typically been. If you don't run the corner you can't pass down the straightaway. It's just as simple as that. I had a good piece, but we'll never know now. We'll get out of here, go home and go to Loudon," said Elliott.

Elliott dropped to 16th in the Winston Cup point standings. Elliott's 1769 ponits are 27 points out of 15th and 758 behind point leader Bobby Labonte.

Daytona Qualifying Quotes
"These guys have done a heck of a job," said Bill Elliott. "They worked really late this week and put in a great effort here tonight. That's what it's all about."
Qualifying Quotes

Daytona Notes
In the Daytona 500 Elliott drove a car the team named "Mac Daddy", this weekend he has a brand new car that has been dubbed "Mac Momma"
Elliott finished 3rd in the Daytona 500 and 15th at Talladega in the first two restrictor-plate races.

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