AVONDALE, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 08: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, and his father Bill Elliott pose for a photo after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Season Finale 500 and the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The Elliott family has a long connection with cars and the world of NASCAR. After the legendary race car driver Bill Elliott, who ruled the racetracks in the 80s, it is his son Chase Elliott, who is carrying on the family legacy. Although the 67-year-old had many glorified moments in his journey as a race car driver, there was one in particular that had NASCAR authorities take a decision that was not liked by many.
Bill Elliott talks about the race that led to a major change in NASCAR rules
Bill Elliott, who is in his late sixties now, was known as ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’ for a reason. In a recent video posted by Eric Estepp, we can see the NASCAR enthusiast talk to the legend at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. He was elated as he met Bill Elliott there while on the tour of the amazingly designed museum.
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In the video, we see Estepp notice the car Bill Elliott drove when he won the Daytona 500 in 1987 that had led to a massive change in cars. He said, “This car won the 87 Daytona 500, wow.” Bill confirmed, “It is the car. It was uh, you know we won in 85 and came back in 87 to set the track record.”
At this point, Estepp exclaimed, “And then they put restrictor plates on it the next year, right? They said that’s too fast!”
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What was the reason for NASCAR making this big change?
Bill Elliott was awarded as the most popular driver sixteen times in his career. While he has a lot of victories to his name, his win at the Daytona 500 in 1987 ignited some fire because of his speed. He had won the Daytona 500 pole position with a speed of 213 mph. It was only his car that had topped the 210 mark. Others qualified for the starting grid at more than 200mph, except a few.
Bill Elliott certainly dominated that race and he had other race drivers on their toes, trying to match his speed. This, however, created safety concerns for not only the driver but also the spectators. And eventually, NASCAR officials had to take some serious decisions around speed with the use of restrictor plates.
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If case you are not familiar with the term, a restrictor plate is a metal plate with holes in it designed to slow the airflow into the engine, thereby reducing horsepower and speed. Although this decision was taken keeping in mind people’s safety, they are not fans of the idea as it restricts the cars to go much faster.
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