Tony Stewart shocked the world when he announced earlier this month that a sprint car race will have $1 million in prize money for the first time in history. The Eldora Million 2023 will break records and script history, as the race promises $1 million to the driver who will cross the black-and-white checkered flag first. But in the world of multi-million-dollar contracts and endorsement deals, the number doesn’t come as a shock.

Imagine a purse of this size being offered 37 years ago! The amount was truly massive—not just for NASCAR, but for any sport worldwide. There were stringent conditions upon which the delivery of the prize was predicated, and the conditions were met by Bill Elliott in 1985.  

Winston sets the stage for a showdown

The Winston cigarette brand, owned by RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., had announced the Winston Million—a $1 million prize. This insane prize could be won by any driver who managed to win three of the Big Four races, i.e., Daytona 500, Winston 500 (Talladega), Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte), and Southern 500 (Darlington).

Announced in 1985, the program arrived serendipitously for one man, Bill Elliott. Elliott had one of his, and NASCAR history’s, best seasons in ’85. Wrapping up 11 wins at Superspeedways, he seemed immortal.

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Given his unstoppable form, he looked primed to win the Cup Series. But the Dawsonville man had a chance to grab the $1 million grand paycheck too. Awesome Bill had already won Daytona in February that year, and he followed that up with a win at Talladega in May. With two boxes ticked, he had just one more to go.

The metamorphosis of Bill Elliott to Million Dollar Bill

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Daytona and Talladega were in his kitty. Bill only needed a win at either Charlotte or Darlington to become the first holder of this new accolade.

But there was a twist in this tale lined up at Charlotte. With his tires giving way and his brakes failing, Elliott could only reach a measly 18th place in the race. That meant he had to either win in Darlington—a track touted as the toughest by drivers—or RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. would take their handsome prize back.

The enormity of the situation was clearly visible. Tension was palpable and the focus was fully on conquering the Darlington track. Elliott’s team worked overtime to prepare for the race and security personnel was posted outside their garage to limit distractions. 

Their hard work paid off; of the 367 laps, Elliott was in the lead for 100. He beat Cale Yarborough to the flag, while his main rivals—Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, et al.—had to park their cars for different reasons.

His triumph was celebrated fittingly as fake dollar bills floated all around his car on the victory lane. The difficulty of the task was visible in later years as no one could emulate the feat again until 1997. Jeff Gordon broke the deadlock, winning in Daytona, Charlotte, and Darlington to become the second Winston Million winner.

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Elliott set many such records over his career, one of which is his Most Popular Driver award tally. With 16 wins, Elliott Sr leads the race, but his son, Chase Elliott looks to be on the prowl to take that away. Can Chase do the double—win the Winston Million and another MPD?