World 600 : Elliott, Davey Allison Have Sights on $1-Million Bonus

HARRISBURG, N.C. — Bill Elliott and Davey Allison have a million reasons for winning today’s Coca-Cola World 600 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

A million dollars, that is.

Elliott, from Dawsonville, Ga., and Allison, from Hueytown, Ala., are the two drivers eligible for the $1-million bonus to the driver able to win three of the Winston Cup series’ Big Four races.

The four races are the Daytona 500 (won by Elliott), the Winston 500 (won by Allison), today’s World 600 and the Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C., on Labor Day.

Elliott won the Winston Million in 1985--the first year it was offered--when he won Daytona 500, the Winston 500 and Southern 500. Elliott says he’s counting on that experience in his quest for a second million.

“The experience of going through the chase for the Million in 1985 has been very important for myself and for our crew,” Elliott said Saturday. “I feel 200% more comfortable in the chase for the Million this year than I did in ’85.

“I’ve had the experience of running up front, of having dealt with the different situations before which will help me if it comes down to Darlington,” Elliott said. “If we can win this race (today), I’ll be much more capable of handling the pressure in September than I was last time. I’ll know what to expect going in.”

Experience is not on Allison’s side. The son of Bobby Allison, Davey has had only 14 career Winston Cup starts in three years. His lone victory came earlier this month in the Winston 500.

“Our group is as enthusiastic and aggressive and hungry as any team on the circuit,” said Allison.

There’s also a $100,000 bonus available to the first driver winning two of the Big Four races.

Elliott will start on the pole in today’s race after setting a track qualifying record speed of 170.901 m.p.h. in a four-lap run Wednesday, while Allison will start on the outside of the eighth row.