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Good Ol' Boys - NASCAR
Bill Elliott's crew behind the win By Lin Loflin October 3, 2000		Our ranking out of 750 NASCAR websites since joining on 7/3/00 Moonshine to Madison Avenue List Price: $49.95 Our Price: $49.95 1 Week Inside A Winston Cup Team List Price: $14.95 Our Price: $11.96 You Save: $2.99 (20%) Woman's Guide To Auto Racing List Price: $5.95 Our Price: $4.76 You Save: $1.19 (20%) Official NASCAR Trivia List Price: $9.95 Our Price: $7.96 You Save: $1.99 (20%) Behind The Scenes of Nascar List Price: $13.95 Our Price: $11.16 You Save: $2.79 (20%) Greatest Days In NASCAR List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $17.47 You Save: $7.48 (30%) NASCAR for Dummies by Mark Martin List Price: $19.99 Our Price: $15.99 You Save: $4.00 (20%) Definitive History of NASCAR List Price: $50.00 Our Price: $35.00 You Save: $15.00 (30%)
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"How well can you handle a broom?" Buddy Cram, Shop Foreman for Bill Elliott, smiles as he relates the answer he gives to guys who ask to work in Bill Elliott's shop near Statesville, North Carolina. "We get a lot of people coming in who want to work for us because we are such a close knit group," he continued. "But, no matter how good a mechanic or technician you are, or what position you held with someone else, here you pay your dues. Everyone gets to sweep the shop floor when they are first hired." The Bill Elliott shop is a clean, well-run organization. Everyone has a specialty and confidently goes about creating as near perfect a race car as possible. It takes an average of 4-6 weeks to build a car from scratch, with a cost of approximately a quarter of a million dollars per car. It is not unusual for a driver to have up to 14 cars. There are two cars set up for each kind of race track. "What a lot of people don't realize," Buddy says, "is that the cage with the roll bars is pre-purchased, and is exactly like most of the other race cars you see on the track. We then cut sheet metal and weld it using NASCAR and Ford specifications. We are even careful about the amount of paint we use. Every ounce of weight is carefully considered. Wind tunnel tests are set up to enable designers to minimize resistance. Engines, of course, are special made and set up for each individual car. Three engines are prepared for a race. One, for practice; one to qualify, and of course one for the actual race. It is interesting to find that on race day, a crew can repair or replace almost anything except the engine. You will find the shop crew at the race but each will possibly hold an entirely different position. Cram, for example, works as the safety coordinator and tire man during a race. It takes 400 man hours to get ready for a race," Buddy reveals. "Each car must meet exact specifications and we take care that they are right on the money. We even have a section of the shop set up with an aluminum plate leveler to perfectly measure the car." Fans notice the decals that decorate each race car. Decals can cost as much as $1500 depending on the decal and placement. There are almost 100 separate decals for each car. The huge transfer trailer truck with the Bill Elliott name and logo does more than haul a race car to the track. "This is sort of where we live when we're at the track," Buddy said. Not only do the cars fit inside, but there are bins of parts, extra motors, and anything else you can imagine needing for a race. Near the front of the truck interior is a cozy lounge with TV, couches, a table and telephone. From roll bar frame to sheet metal; engine placement to paint and decals, it's a full time job by a productive team. Each member of the crew works diligently. It's THEIR Win too, you know. What do you think? Go to our forums to discuss this article Comments can be sent to the author at contacts@autoracing1.com.	Martinsville Pre-Race Story by Frank Ryan 9/29/00 Short Day for Long by Doug Belliveau and Frank Ryan 9/26/00 Got Laps? by Doug Belliveau 9/26/00 Mayfield Claims Pole by Frank Ryan 9/22/00 NASCAR Racing Cakes The sweet smell of success by Lin Miller 9/21/00 We drive Winston Cup cars with Skip Barber by Mike Marue 9/20/00 Restrictor Plates Are they required for the Monster Mile? by Frank Ryan 9/19/00 Testing Is NASCAR testing itself to death by Frank Ryan 9/19/00 The Penalty Box by Doug Belliveau 9/14/00 Monte Carlo 400 Richmond - Saturday Night Special Frank Ryan 9/10/00 Southern 500 - The battery bunch tames the lady by Jon Osborne 9/3/00 Bristol - Wallace brings a broom to Bristol by Jon Osborne 8/26/00 Bristol - Go chasing, Rusty wins Bristol by Frank Ryan 8/26/00 Camping at The Glen - A weekend of camping at The Glen by Doug Belliveau 8/21/00 Rain Tires - Will Goodyear's Eagles fly n the rain by Frank Ryan 8/17/00 Watkins Glen - Park the car in Victory Lane by Frank Ryan 8/13/00 Brickyard 400 - Labonte's win solid as brick by Frank Ryan 8/5/00 Pennsylvania 500 Race report by Frank Ryan 7/23/00 Pennsylvania 500 Pre-race report by Frank Ryan 7/20/00 Name that NASCAR sponsor by Doug Belliveau 7/13/00 ThatLook.com 300 - Rain sweetened victory for Tony Stewart by Frank Ryan 7/9/00 Pepsi 400 - Jeff Burton leads Ford sweep by David Cipolloni 7/1/00 Rainbow Warrior wins this battle by Doug Belliveau 6/29/00 Sears Point by Frank Ryan 6/26/00 Mid-Season review by Mark Baudermann 6/23/00 Aged to perfection by Doug Belliveau 6/21/00 Michigan Kmart 400 - Stewart is the Rain Man by Frank Ryan 6/11/00 The Farewell Tour by Doug Belliveau 6/7/00 Dover MBNA 400 - Tony Stewart dominates The Monster Mile by David Cipolloni & Frank Ryan 6/4/00 World 600 - Rain doesn't delay Matt Kenseth's Reign by Frank Ryan 6/1/00 Memories of Speedweek at Charlotte By Mark Baudermann 5/26/00 Don't order the crown. Yet! by Doug Belliveau 5/24/00 Nothing lasts forever by Frank Ryan 5/23/00

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