Bill Elliott Racing Team

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. (April 12, 2010) – Mobile International Speedway in south Alabama has for years been a proving ground for up-and-coming race drivers, and in Saturday’s opening Miller Lite Series race, the Bill Elliott Racing duo of Chase Elliott and Casey Roderick showed that they were plenty capable of handling the challenges posed by the tough old track and a stellar field of Late Model drivers.

With Roderick a last-minute entry in Elliott’s back-up car, the two, who had just one previous start between them at the speedway– by Roderick in 2009 in a Pro Late Model race – sped to the top of the speed chart in practice, with Elliott posting fast time and Roderick just behind him. In the race, they battled at the front all night before Elliott finished third and Roderick fifth.

Roderick started sixth in his No. 19 Ford, followed by the No. 9 of Elliott in seventh. Side by side, the teammates steadily moved through the field, taking sixth and fifth places then fifth and fourth places due to a spin by race leader Augie Grill on Lap Nine. On Lap 15, they took over third and second places when front-runner Ryan Lawler went off the track.

Roderick and Elliott ran second and third respectively until Lap 60 when Roderick passed the No. 99 of Casey Smith for the lead. Elliott made his way to the bumper of Smith on Lap 66 and passed him for the second position on lap 70. Roderick led the race for 20 laps until the final caution of the evening came out on Lap 80 for the Phoenix Racing car of Eddie Mercer.

With a relationship in place between Roderick and Phoenix Racing, the Phoenix team quickly agreed to pit for Roderick but that meant moving the necessary tires and equipment from the Aaron’s Pit Crew location.
Amid the pit road confusion, Roderick dropped to third place while Elliott fell to ninth, the last driver on the lead lap.

Elliott put his Aaron’s Dream Machine to work over the final 20 laps. On the restart he passed two cars for the seventh position and by Lap 84 he was up to the fourth position with the No. 99 of Casey Smith close on his bumper. By Lap 87, Elliott was challenging Roderick for third place position and made the pass a lap later. Smith also made the pass, dropping Roderick to fifth.

Elliott then tracked down the No. 51 of Josh Hamner. Coming to the checkered flag Elliott was up to Hamner’s door but could not complete the pass for second position. When the checkered flag fell it was Jeff Fultz with the win followed by Hamner, Elliott, Smith and Roderick.

Elliott was awarded the $1,000 bonus for the weekend’s best average finish between Friday night’s race at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., where he finished second, and Saturday’s at Mobile. Those two races are part of the Gulf Coast Championship.
He is one point behind Fultz in the championship after the first event of the season.