Melling Racing
 |
|
| Owner(s) |
Harry Melling (1982–1999) Mark Melling (1999–2002) |
|---|---|
| Base | Mooresville, North Carolina |
| Series | Winston Cup |
| Car numbers | 9, 92 |
| Race drivers | Bill Elliott, Jerry Nadeau, Lake Speed, Stacy Compton |
| Sponsors | Coors Brewing, Turner Broadcasting, Spam, Kodiak |
| Manufacturer | Ford, Dodge |
| Opened | 1982 |
| Closed | 2003 |
| Career | |
| Debut | 1982 Daytona 500 (Daytona) |
| Latest race | 2002 Pepsi 400 by Farmer Jack (Michigan International Speedway) |
| Drivers' Championships | 1 |
| Race victories | 34 |
Melling Racing was a Championship-winning NASCAR Winston Cup Series race team owned by Harry Melling and his son Mark Melling. Henry Melling ran the team from 1982 to mid-1999 when he died after a heart attack, his son Mark then took over Melling Racing until the team closed in 2003. The team won more than 34 races and was most notable for fielding cars for Bill Elliott in the 1980s where he won the 1985 Winston Million and the 1988 Winston Cup championship.
In 1982 the team became Melling Racing after Harry Melling bought the team from George Elliott on December 1, 1981, Melling first became involved in NASCAR when his company Melling Tool sponsored Benny Parsons in 1979. Melling Racing ran 21 races in 1982 and had nine top-tens and won the pole for the Champion Spark Plug 400.
In 1983, Elliott won his first race at the season-ending race at Riverside International Raceway and finished third in points. The following season, Coors became the team's new sponsor and Melling Racing responded with three wins with Elliott and another third-place points finish. 1985 marked a career-high eleven wins for Elliott and Melling, as well over $2 million in earnings, but a string of four finishes outside of the top-ten late in the season caused them to finish second in the series standings. Elliott won the Daytona 500, Winston 500 Where Elliott lost 2 laps, made it up under green and won the race, and the Southern 500. Elliott became one of two drivers to win the Winston Million. (Earning the nickname "Million Dollar Bill") The team slipped to sixth in points and had only two wins the following year, but started off 1987 with a win at the Daytona 500, on top of five additional wins that season. Melling Racing finally won the championship in 1988 with Elliott after getting six wins and 22 top-ten finishes.
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