When race fans see the name Melling, many—at least NASCAR old-timers—think back to the 1980s and to the glory days of the Melling race team in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Bill Elliott.SAD NEWS:NASCAR legend Erica Enders just announce she is not going…
With team owner Harry Melling at the top of the Melling Racing masthead, Elliott became one of the sport’s superstars and one of the most popular drivers of all time.
Elliott even earned the moniker “Million Dollar Bill” after he won the Winston Million promotion in 1985. Series sponsor RJ Reynolds offered a $1 million bonus for winning three of sport’s “Big Four” that year—the Daytona 500, Winston 500 at Talladega, Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and the Southern 500 at Darlington. Elliott won Daytona, Talladega and Darlington.
In 1988, Elliott with Melling won the NASCAR Cup championship. The racing marriage went on to produce 34 Cup Series wins.
Harry Melling owned the team from 1982 until his death from a heart attack in 1999 at the age of 54. His death led to son Mark Melling not only taking control of the family Melling Tool business, but also becoming the youngest team owner in professional sports before his 30th birthday.
