Old NASCAR cars hold a piece of history within themselves. It reminds onlookers of the evolution of the sport, the memories related to the race, some of the fanbase’s favorite paint schemes, and so much more. Among the many legendary drivers to grace the sport, Bill Elliott is one of the most popular. Collectibles and memorabilia related to him are always in high demand, and NASCAR fans often go to varied lengths to get their hands on the coveted items.

And the latest symbol of Bill Elliott’s legacy to be auctioned for the fans is the 2000 Ford Taurus. Elliott was synonymous with the #94 Ford at a point in time, and the car has been sold for $55,000. Barrett-Jackson hosted the world’s largest classic car auction and facilitated the auction in Scottsdale, continuing its tradition of bringing iconic race-driven cars to the fans.

Bill Elliott blew a tire in that same Ford Taurus

Racing for his team, Bill Elliott Racing, in the #94 Ford Taurus, the 16-time winner of the NASCAR Most Popular Driver of the Year award, qualified 17th for the Pepsi 400. With a lap time of  38.119 seconds and a top speed of 188.882 mph, Elliott was sandwiched between NASCAR legends Michael Waltrip and Jeff Gordon. There was a decent chance for Elliott to end up in the top 10 positions, with some great drivers falling behind in the grid.

However, Bill Elliott was unaware of a mishap at the Michigan International Speedway that awaited him. After running for 123 laps, Elliott’s McDonald’s sponsored car blew its rear tire and crashed into the wall. Eventually, he had to retire and finish the race in P38.

Owing to the history behind the car, NASCAR fans have yet to hesitate to raise the bids to claim it and a lucky owner bought the iconic red and yellow painted car for $55,000. Surprisingly, there haven’t been many popular additions of crashed cars from the same race like Tony Stewart‘s #20 Pontiac, which crashed after a mere 36 laps in the 200-lap race, or Jeff Gordon’s #24 Chevrolet that retired after 141 laps for a similar reason.

However, the series of misfortunate events continued for Bill Elliott. Shortly after the Pepsi 400 in Michigan, the NASCAR legend suffered an excruciating multi-fracture after being involved in an accident on his property.

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More bad luck followed the 2000 Pepsi 400 crash

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Two days after the unfortunate race in Michigan, Bill Elliott was enjoying his time away from the racetrack on one of his properties in Blairsville. However, a left kneecap multi-fracture ruined his vacation, leaving him doubtful about Bristol’s upcoming race. The goracing.com 500 was scheduled at the Bristol Motor Speedway four days after Elliott’s injury.

After examination, it was deemed that Bill Elliott would not be able to attempt the qualifying race and had to undergo recovery with the help of Dr James Andrews, who also performed surgery on his knee. Having their driver-owner ruled out of the upcoming race, Bill Elliott Racing availed the talents of Busch Series driver David Green as a substitute.

Green was initially brought in to replace Elliott in the qualifying and practice races with hopes that Elliott would be back for the main event. However, after being declared unfit to participate, David Green went to drive the #94 car in Bristol for the 500-lap event and finished 36th after crashing in the 416th lap.

Elliott revealed that during his stay in Blairsville, he had tripped himself and fell with all his weight on the left knee. His wife helped him move to the closest emergency center. Soon after, he moved to Birmingham to meet with Dr Andrews, who operated Bill Elliott.

That was indeed an unlucky stretch of days for the 16-time NMPA Most Popular Driver award winner. However, irrespective of how many crashes he endured or how many races he missed, the icon has always remained an icon!

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