How many championships did Bill Elliott win in NASCAR? All you need to know

Bill Elliott is one of the most successful and recognized drivers in NASCAR. The father of current NASCAR driver Chase Elliott, Bill, raced in the top tier of stock car racing for over 37 years, where he racked up 828 races. In nearly four decades of racing in the Cup Series, Bill claimed one championship in 1988.

The 1988 Winston Cup Series was the 40th edition of the NASCAR Cup Series and the 17th in the modern era of Cup racing. In 1988, Elliot raced for Melling Racing, had crew chief Ernie Elliott, and drove the #9 Ford in his 13th year as a Cup Series driver. Even though he won the championship that year, his start to the season was far from ideal.

He was winless in the first few races and then went on to win the Valleydale Meats 500 at the Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Following his win at Bristol, Elliott also claimed victory at the Budweiser 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware.

Elliott also won the Pepsi Firecracker 400 at the Daytona International Speedway, at Daytona Beach, Florida. He went on to win the race at the AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono Raceway. Elliott's penultimate race win that season arrived at the Darlington Raceway in the Southern 500 and then the ultimate one at the Dover Downs International Speedway in the Delaware 500.

In the end, Bill Elliott emerged as the champion over Wallace and Earnhardt. Elliott collected a total of 4468 points in 29 races across the season. He claimed the title by 24 points over Wallace and 32 points over Earnhardt.

It was the season where Elliott emerged as the champion over Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, and it was Elliott's only title under his belt. Besides being the winner of the 1988 Cup Series, Elliott is also known as the driver with the most number of Most Popular Driver awards, with 16 titles to his name.

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Bill Elliott's NASCAR career in a nutshell

Bill Elliott raced in the Cup Series for over 37 years with 828 race appearances. In nearly four decades of racing, he claimed 44 race wins, 175 top-fives, and 320 top-10s. He made his debut in the top tier of stock car racing in 1976 and raced his last in the series in 2012.

Bill Elliott, driver of the #9, practices during the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience event at Stafford Motor Speedway on July 2, 2022 in Stafford, Connecticut - Source: Getty

Elliot also raced in the Xfinity Series, where he participated in 44 races in over 13 years, racking up a win, eight top-fives, and 16 Top 10s.

The 69-year-old is known for his nicknames, such as 'Awesome Bill From Dawsonville' and 'Million Dollar Bill'. Besides such interesting names, he also has two Daytona 500 wins, one Brickyard 400, and one Winston 500 win to his name.