NASCAR: Bill Elliott’s Road America Xfinity race will be his last

1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott revealed that his Xfinity Series race at Road America later this month will be his last NASCAR race.

Last week, it was confirmed that 1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott is set to make his return to NASCAR in the Xfinity Series race at Road America on Saturday, August 25. He is set to drive the #23 GMS Racing Chevrolet in that race.

That race, the Johnsonville 180, is scheduled to be a 45-lap race around the 14-turn, 4.048-mile (6.515-kilometer) Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It is set to be the 62-year-old’s first Xfinity Series race and first NASCAR race in several years.

Elliott has not driven in an Xfinity Series race since he drove in the race at Memphis Motorsports Park, the Sam’s Town 250, in the 2005 season, and he has not driven in any NASCAR race since  he drove in the summer race at Daytona International Speedway, the Coke-Zero 400, in the 2012 Cup Series season.

But while this race is set to be Elliott’s first Xfinity Series race as well as his first NASCAR race in several years, it is also set to be his last NASCAR race across all of the sport’s series.

Here is what Elliott had to say about the matter, according to Autosport.

"“I would say in the [NASCAR] national series, this will be my last race. I’m not saying I wouldn’t do something else. I’ve been enjoying the vintage car races the last couple of months. I’m going to run a Trans-Am car at Mid-Ohio next weekend just to tinker around with. I’m just trying some different stuff. I’ve been through so many evolutions of racing and I just want to see what this stuff is like.“I was watching the Xfinity race [at Watkins Glen last weekend] and man, those guys are good. I just would like to see how are these cars are today, how are things going along and just kind of see what it’s all about.“We [Elliott and GMS Racing team president Mike Beam] kind of got to talking about it and they asked me to do it and I thought, ‘Well, what the heck,’ – I really don’t have anything to prove. I don’t know what my expectations are. After [Saturday], I texted my team and said you all might want to put A.J. [Allmendinger] back in the car after what he did today.“Win, lose or draw, go up there, I’ll first off have a good time, enjoy the moment and just see what goes from there. I have never officially retired.”"

Elliott’s Cup Series career included 828 starts, 44 victories, 175 top five finishes, 320 top 10 finishes and 55 pole positions.

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So far in his Xfinity Series career, Elliott has earned one victory, eight top five finishes, 16 top 10 finishes and two pole positions. His lone Xfinity Series victory so far came in the 1993 Fay’s 150 at Watkins Glen International, which is the track at which his son Chase just earned his first career Cup Series victory this past Sunday.

Elliott’s Truck Series career included two starts and one top five finish. That top five finish, which was a second place finish in the 1996 Carquest 420K at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was his lone top 10 finish in the series.

The Johnsonville 180 at Road America is scheduled to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network starting at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 25. Be sure not to miss it, as it is set to be the final NASCAR race in which Bill Elliott drives.