# Melling Racing

Melling Racing was a Championship-winning NASCAR Winston Cup Series race team owned by Harry Melling and his son Mark Melling. Harry Melling ran the team from its inception in 1982, to mid-1999. When Harry died after a heart attack in mid-1999, his son Mark then took over Melling Racing until the team closed in 2003. The team was most notable for fielding cars for Bill Elliott in the 1980s, where he won the 1985 Southern 500 at Darlington to claim the first ever Winston Million bonus, claiming the fastest qualifying lap in NASCAR history at Talladega Superspeedway with a lap of 212.809 mph in 1987, and winning the 1988 Winston Cup championship. Melling won 34 career NASCAR Winston Cup races, all of them with Bill Elliott.

## History
### Car Nos. 9 and 92 History
#### Bill Elliott and success (1982–1991)

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 with Bill Elliott in 1982 and had nine top-tens and won the pole for the Champion Spark Plug 400.
In 1983, Elliott won his first race in the season finale 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 was a phenomenal year for Elliott and Melling, marking a season-and-career-high 11 poles and 11 wins, with 7 of those 11 wins coming from the pole, as well as over $2 million in earnings. During the 1984 Winston Cup Awards Ceremony, RJ Reynolds and Winston announced that starting in 1985, if a driver won 3 of the 4 crown jewel events in the same year, they would receive a million dollar bonus from the company. The 4 events are the Daytona 500, Winston 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500. Most drivers thought it would be impossible to do so, but Bill Elliott would accomplish that feat in 1985. Elliott won the Daytona 500, Winston 500 (where he lost 2 laps, but made both laps up under green and eventually won the race), and the Southern 500. Elliott won the Winston Million in its very first year running, earning him the nickname "Million Dollar Bill". The only major of the four he did not win in 1985 was the Coca-Cola 600 (a driver needed only to win a "small slam" of the four majors to win the bonus; Elliott, since he retired in 2013, would not finish a Career Grand Slam). Elliott is one of only 2 drivers to win the bonus, with the other driver being Jeff Gordon, who won the Winston Million in its final running in 1997. The winning of the bonus was the rise of Bill Elliott being NASCAR's Most Popular Driver. With his win at Darlington, along with the Winston Million bonus, Elliott had 10 races won so far, but in the next 4 races after Darlington however, he would struggle and finish poorly. He did not finish in the top 10 since the Darlington win. Elliott was in jeopardy of not winning the championship. Elliott would finally overcome his slump, and he won his 11th and final race of the season in the November race at Atlanta, putting him back in the championship hunt. With the win at Atlanta, Bill Elliott would set a NASCAR modern era record for completing the season sweep at 4 different tracks in a season: Pocono, Michigan, Darlington, & Atlanta. The next race after the Atlanta win would be the final race of 1985. Elliott went into Riverside 2nd in points, only 20 points behind Darrell Waltrip, giving him a shot to rebound for the championship after a string of poor finishes in 4 of the last 5 races. During the race however, Elliott would suffer early transmission problems, and it would unfortunately cost him the championship. He finished the race in 31st. Waltrip finished in 7th, gaining 81 points on Elliott. Darrell Waltrip clinched his 3rd and final Winston Cup title, having won only 3 races to Bill Elliott's 11. Elliott would officially lose the championship by 101 points. This would be the 1st time in Bob Latford's Winston Cup points system that a driver winning 10 or more races in a season failed to win the championship due to poor finishes and lack of consistency in the final stretch of the season. The team would slip to 4th in points in 1986 and won only two races, both coming at Michigan. Even though both wins were at Michigan, Bill Elliott would become the 1st driver in NASCAR history to win 4 straight superspeedway races at one track, doing so at Michigan with season sweeps in 1985 and 1986. Elliott and Melling rallied back in 1987 by winning 6 races, and starting off the year by winning the Daytona 500 for the 2nd time. During the season in May, Bill Elliott would run the fastest qualifying lap in NASCAR history at Talladega Superspeedway for the Winston 500 with a lap of 212.809 mph. Due to NASCAR mandating restrictor plates the following year to keep the drivers from going over 200 mph, this record will never be matched. They would finish the year 2nd in points to Dale Earnhardt, who scored 11 wins, by 489 points. Bill Elliott and Melling Racing would finally win the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in 1988 after winning 6 races for the 2nd straight season and scoring 22 top-ten finishes. Elliott won the title by only 24 points over Rusty Wallace, who also won 6 races.
The team was unable to defend its championship in 1989 after Elliott was injured early in the season and Jody Ridley served as a substitute driver. Elliott still managed to win three races that year, but the defending Winston Cup champions fell to 6th in points. In 1990, Elliott had only one victory, winning at Dover, but rebounded to finish 4th in points. In 1991, there would be a bit of a change in the team's identity: the sponsorship would change from Coors to Coors Light, and the colors would also change from the team's iconic red to blue. They would only win one race that season, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Bill Elliott had a very rough year, and fell to a disappointing 11th in points, causing him and Coors to part ways with Melling at the end of the 1991 season. The 1991 Pepsi 400 at Daytona would be the only race in his career that Bill Elliott won in a car that was not painted red. The Pepsi 400 would also be the team's 34th and final career Winston Cup win. Overall, Melling Racing won 34 races in 9 seasons, along with winning the 1985 Winston Million, setting the fastest qualifying lap ever in 1987 at Talladega, and winning the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup championship, all of those accomplishments with only Bill Elliott. The prime years would unfortunately come to an end for the team. Elliott however, would still be successful in the years to come.

#### Struggles, Harry Melling's death, and closing (1992–2003)

Without sponsorship, Melling ran Phil Parsons for the first two races in the 1992 season and had a top-ten finish at the Daytona 500. After that, the team ran a part-time schedule with Dorsey Schroeder, Dave Mader III, and Bill Schmitt driving, before Chad Little finished the season. The team continued running a part-time schedule with Little and Greg Sacks driving at the beginning of the season, along with P. J. Jones in the second half of the season. After Joe Ruttman drove at Daytona, Rich Bickle drove for ten races and had only one top-20 finish, causing him to be replaced by Parsons later on. The team finally got a new sponsor in Spam when Lake Speed signed with the team in 1995. He had two top-ten finishes and finished 23rd in points running a full-time schedule. After only one top-ten in 1996, Spam left the team.
Due to a lack of sponsorship, the team skipped races, and ran a total of 26 events with Speed driving 25 and Jeff Davis running at Sears Point. Melling was able to return full-time in 1998 when Cartoon Network became the team's new sponsor. While practicing at Sears Point, Speed was involved a wreck and had to be replaced by Butch Gilliland that weekend while he recuperated. After returning for a final race at New Hampshire, Speed retired from driving and was replaced immediately by rookie Jerry Nadeau, who had a best finish of 15th at Watkins Glen International. Nadeau returned for the 1999 season, with Turner Broadcasting taking a larger role in its sponsorship duties, advertising TBS, Dinner and a Movie, WCW, and the Atlanta Braves in addition to their Cartoon Network sponsorship. Midway through the season, Harry Melling died due to a heart attack, and his son Mark took over ownership of the team. At Watkins Glen that season, Nadeau gave Melling Racing its first top-five since 1991 with a fifth-place finish, but left after the following week to replace Ernie Irvan at MB2 Motorsports. For the rest of the season, Bickle, Steve Grissom, and Stacy Compton all shared the ride.
Compton was hired as the driver for 2000 with Kodiak/Tobacco replacing Cartoon and Turner as the sponsor. In his rookie season, Compton was unable to finish higher than 16th, had to miss the goracing.com 500 due to injuries, and was replaced by Bobby Hillin Jr. for that race. In 2001, Melling yielded the No. 9 to Evernham Motorsports, who would be fielding entries for, Bill Elliott. When Ray Evernham took possession of the number 9 from Melling, Elliott asked him for that number out of respect for his old team. In exchange, Melling Racing switched to the No. 92 and ran Dodge Intrepids with engine support from Evernham. Compton also received new crew chief Chad Knaus, leading to the departure of Jerry Pitts. Compton qualified on the outside pole at the season-opening Daytona 500, started on the front row with Elliott, who won the pole, and finished 10th in the race. Compton won 2 poles in 2001, both at Talladega. After finishing 33rd in points at the end of the season, Compton, Kodiak, and Knaus left Melling. In a twist of fate for the team, Elliott won at Homestead in November 2001, driving the number 9 car, but this time, with Evernham Motorsports. It was the 9 car's first since he and Melling Racing took the No. 9 to victory lane at the Pepsi 400 in 1991.
Melling began the 2002 season at Daytona with Robert Pressley driving, finishing 22nd in the Brand Source Dodge after a late race engine failure. The team did not run until the summer Michigan race with Compton finishing 30th. The team's final attempt came at Talladega with Pressley, but they did not qualify. In the team's final race, Stacy Compton led three laps.
At the end of the 2002 season, Melling Racing closed its doors for good and eventually sold its shop and equipment to Arnold Motorsports in 2003.

## Team results

| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | Owners | Pts |
| 1982 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 5 | RCH 12 | BRI | ATL 21 | CAR 23 | DAR 3 | NWS | MAR | TAL 26 | NSV 11 | DOV | CLT 2 | POC 19 | RSD | MCH 3 | DAY 2 | NSV 21 | POC 30 | TAL 6 | MCH 27 | BRI | DAR 4 | RCH | DOV 3 | NWS | CLT 2 | MAR | CAR 12 | ATL 24 | RSD 25 | | | | | | | 25th | 2558 |
| 1983 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 2 | RCH 6 | CAR 2 | ATL 30 | DAR 5 | NWS 21 | MAR 21 | TAL 5 | NSV 5 | DOV 4 | BRI 8 | CLT 16 | RSD 2 | POC 6 | MCH 25 | DAY 7 | NSV 7 | POC 6 | TAL 8 | MCH 3 | BRI 27 | DAR 2 | RCH 4 | DOV 8 | MAR 14 | NWS 4 | CLT 8 | CAR 21 | ATL 6 | RSD 1 | | | | | | | 3rd | 4279 |
| 1984 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 5 | RCH 4 | CAR 8 | ATL 11 | BRI 9 | NWS 10 | DAR 3 | MAR 7 | TAL 9 | NSV 20 | DOV 4 | CLT 28 | RSD 10 | POC 4 | MCH 1 | DAY 6 | NSV 7 | POC 3 | TAL 10 | MCH 3 | BRI 6 | DAR 15 | RCH 24 | DOV 32 | MAR 3 | CLT 1 | NWS 8 | CAR 1 | ATL 2 | RSD 4 | | | | | | | 3rd | 4377 |
| 1985 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 1$^*$ | RCH 22 | CAR 29 | ATL 1$^*$ | BRI 11 | DAR 1$^*$ | NWS 6 | MAR 13 | TAL 1 | DOV 1$^*$ | CLT 18 | RSD 6 | POC 1 | MCH 1$^*$ | DAY 2$^*$ | POC 1 | TAL 4$^*$ | MCH 1 | BRI 5 | DAR 1 | RCH 12 | DOV 20 | MAR 17 | NWS 30 | CLT 2 | CAR 4 | ATL 1$^*$ | RSD 31 | | | | | | | | | 2nd | 4191 |
| 1986 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 13 | RCH 21 | CAR 7 | ATL 5 | BRI 5 | DAR 8 | NWS 9 | MAR 31 | TAL 24$^*$ | DOV 7 | CLT 6$^*$ | RSD 11 | POC 5 | MCH 1 | DAY 16 | POC 35 | TAL 27 | GLN 4 | MCH 1$^*$ | BRI 19 | DAR 3 | RCH 9 | DOV 27 | MAR 11 | NWS 16 | CLT 7 | CAR 7 | ATL 3 | RSD 23 | | | | | | | | 4th | 3844 |
| 1987 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 1$^*$ | CAR 4 | RCH 4 | ATL 28 | DAR 2 | NWS 10 | BRI 4$^*$ | MAR 6 | TAL 22 | CLT 23$^*$ | DOV 2 | POC 2 | RSD 5 | MCH 34 | DAY 12 | POC 32 | TAL 1 | GLN 28 | MCH 1 | BRI 9 | DAR 8 | RCH 4 | DOV 4 | MAR 11 | NWS 3 | CLT 1 | CAR 1$^*$ | RSD 23 | ATL 1$^*$ | | | | | | | | 2nd | 4207 |
| 1988 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 12 | RCH 12 | CAR 6 | ATL 19 | DAR 4 | BRI 1 | NWS 10 | MAR 11 | TAL 7 | CLT 19 | DOV 1$^*$ | RSD 16 | POC 10 | MCH 2 | DAY 1 | POC 1$^*$ | TAL 8 | GLN 3 | MCH 3 | BRI 2 | DAR 1$^*$ | RCH 7 | DOV 1$^*$ | MAR 6 | CLT 4 | NWS 5 | CAR 4$^*$ | PHO 4 | ATL 11 | | | | | | | | 1st | 4488 |
| 1989 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 35 | CAR 19 | ATL 11 | RCH 10 | DAR 6 | BRI 9 | NWS 22 | MAR 20 | TAL 11 | CLT 5 | DOV 8 | SON 3 | POC 21 | MCH 1 | DAY 4$^*$ | POC 1 | TAL 12 | GLN 18 | MCH 39 | BRI 24 | DAR 7 | RCH 18 | DOV 4 | MAR 15 | CLT 4$^*$ | NWS 6 | CAR 15 | PHO 1 | ATL 27 | | | | | | | | 6th | 3774 |
| 1990 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 3 | RCH 4 | CAR 33 | ATL 12 | DAR 7 | BRI 17 | NWS 18 | MAR 10 | TAL 22 | CLT 2 | DOV 8 | SON 21 | POC 16 | MCH 25$^*$ | DAY 29 | POC 2 | TAL 2 | GLN 12 | MCH 4 | BRI 13 | DAR 4 | RCH 4 | DOV 1$^*$ | MAR 8 | NWS 4 | CLT 15$^*$ | CAR 2 | PHO 5 | ATL 15$^*$ | | | | | | | | 4th | 3999 |
| 1991 | Bill Elliott | 9 | Ford | DAY 28 | RCH 30 | CAR 5 | ATL 2$^*$ | DAR 12 | BRI 28 | NWS 8 | MAR 26 | TAL 8 | CLT 26 | DOV 13 | SON 20 | POC 36 | MCH 11 | DAY 1 | POC 9 | TAL 2 | GLN 7 | MCH 5 | BRI 21 | DAR 18 | RCH 9 | DOV 11 | MAR 27 | NWS 24 | CLT 11 | CAR 10 | PHO 25 | ATL 3 | | | | | | | | 11th | 3535 |
| 1992 | Phil Parsons | 9 | Ford | DAY 10 | CAR 30 | RCH | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 30th | 1881 |
| 1992 | Dorsey Schroeder | 9 | Ford | | | | ATL 35 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 30th | 1881 |
| 1992 | Dave Mader III | 9 | Ford | | | | | DAR 34 | BRI 16 | NWS DNQ | MAR 21 | TAL 18 | CLT 39 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 30th | 1881 |
| 1992 | Chad Little | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | DOV 26 | SON | POC 37 | MCH 21 | DAY 24 | POC 17 | TAL 8 | GLN | MCH 17 | BRI | DAR 34 | RCH 27 | DOV 29 | MAR | NWS | CLT 33 | CAR 24 | PHO | ATL 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 30th | 1881 |
| 1993 | Chad Little | 9 | Ford | DAY 24 | CAR | RCH | | | | | | | | CLT 34 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 942 |
| 1993 | Greg Sacks | 9 | Ford | | | | ATL 23 | DAR | BRI | NWS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 942 |
| 1993 | P. J. Jones | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | MAR DNQ | TAL DNQ | SON 25 | | DOV 34 | POC | MCH 38 | DAY 30 | NHA | POC | TAL | GLN 8 | MCH 26 | BRI DNQ | DAR | RCH | DOV DNQ | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | PHO | ATL DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 942 |
| 1994 | Joe Ruttman | 9 | Ford | DAY 18 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 42nd | 1103 |
| 1994 | Rich Bickle | 9 | Ford | | CAR 41 | CAR | ATL 37 | DAR 23 | BRI | NWS DNQ | MAR | TAL DNQ | SON | CLT 34 | DOV | POC 28 | MCH 30 | DAY 20 | NHA 21 | POC 34 | TAL | IND 29 | GLN | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 42nd | 1103 |
| 1994 | Phil Parsons | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MCH 31 | BRI | DAR 15 | RCH DNQ | DOV | MAR | NWS 36 | CLT DNQ | CAR | PHO | ATL | | | | | | | | | | 42nd | 1103 |
| 1995 | Lake Speed | 9 | Ford | DAY 14 | CAR 32 | RCH 14 | ATL 15 | DAR 29 | BRI 17 | NWS 25 | MAR 26 | TAL 16 | SON 40 | CLT 8 | DOV 34 | POC 28 | MCH 11 | DAY 21 | NHA 24 | POC 22 | TAL 35 | IND 34 | GLN 20 | MCH 17 | BRI 29 | DAR 9 | RCH 21 | DOV 32 | MAR 20 | NWS 35 | CLT 21 | CAR 24 | PHO 22 | ATL 19 | | | | | | 23rd | 2921 |
| 1996 | Lake Speed | 9 | Ford | DAY 14 | CAR 25 | RCH 18 | ATL 41 | DAR 25 | BRI 35 | NWS 35 | MAR 11 | TAL 42 | SON 16 | CLT 35 | DOV 26 | POC 34 | MCH 19 | DAY 29 | NHA 24 | POC 8 | TAL 30 | IND 13 | GLN 17 | MCH 32 | BRI 16 | DAR 10 | RCH 31 | DOV 13 | MAR 28 | NWS 25 | CLT 12 | CAR 35 | PHO 28 | ATL 19 | | | | | | 23rd | 2834 |
| 1997 | Lake Speed | 9 | Ford | DAY 24 | CAR 15 | RCH 12 | ATL 22 | DAR 36 | TEX 16 | BRI 36 | MAR 25 | SON | TAL 21 | CLT 24 | DOV | POC | MCH 11 | CAL 20 | DAY 29 | NHA | POC | IND 12 | GLN | MCH 21 | BRI 29 | DAR 18 | RCH 36 | NHA 18 | DOV | MAR 14 | CLT 38 | TAL 36 | CAR 17 | PHO 37 | ATL 26 | | | | | 35th | 2301 |
| 1998 | Lake Speed | 9 | Ford | DAY 17 | CAR 27 | LVS 32 | ATL 28 | DAR 25 | BRI 31 | TEX 20 | MAR 20 | TAL 25 | CAL 32 | CLT 27 | DOV 36 | RCH 26 | MCH 25 | POC 25 | | NHA 41 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 2130 |
| 1998 | Butch Gilliland | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SON 24 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 2130 |
| 1998 | Jerry Nadeau | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | POC 26 | IND 26 | GLN 15 | MCH 30 | BRI 32 | NHA 29 | DAR 32 | RCH 23 | DOV 36 | MAR 35 | CLT 35 | TAL 42 | DAY 19 | PHO 39 | CAR 24 | ATL 37 | | | | | | 34th | 2130 |
| 1999 | Jerry Nadeau | 9 | Ford | DAY 11 | CAR 31 | LVS 31 | ATL 27 | DAR 40 | TEX 24 | BRI 42 | MAR 32 | TAL 8 | CAL 20 | RCH 21 | CLT 20 | DOV 30 | MCH 26 | POC 23 | SON 34 | DAY 37 | NHA 36 | POC 38 | IND 31 | GLN 5 | MCH 29 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 2686 |
| 1999 | Steve Grissom | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BRI 39 | DAR 39 | RCH 30 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 2686 |
| 1999 | Rich Bickle | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | NHA 20 | DOV 36 | MAR 37 | CLT 39 | TAL 41 | | | | | | | | | | | | 34th | 2686 |
| 1999 | Stacy Compton | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CAR 36 | PHO 39 | HOM 30 | ATL DNQ | | | | 34th | 2686 |
| 2000 | Stacy Compton | 9 | Ford | DAY 26 | CAR 34 | LVS 32 | ATL 35 | DAR 29 | BRI 28 | TEX 36 | MAR 39 | TAL 33 | CAL 28 | RCH 22 | CLT 33 | DOV 30 | MCH 42 | POC 37 | SON 31 | DAY 39 | NHA 29 | POC 35 | IND 37 | GLN 29 | MCH DNQ | | DAR DNQ | RCH 24 | NHA 16 | DOV 29 | MAR 39 | CLT DNQ | TAL 23 | CAR DNQ | PHO DNQ | HOM 38 | ATL DNQ | | | 38th | 1857 |
| 2000 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 9 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BRI 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38th | 1857 |
| 2001 | Stacy Compton | 92 | Dodge | DAY 10 | CAR 41 | LVS 27 | ATL 24 | DAR 43 | BRI 11 | TEX 15 | MAR 15 | TAL 43 | CAL 38 | RCH 29 | CLT 34 | DOV 32 | MCH DNQ | POC 23 | SON 24 | DAY 32 | CHI 26 | NHA 31 | POC 32 | IND 33 | GLN 20 | MCH 21 | BRI DNQ | DAR 42 | RCH 22 | DOV 24 | KAN 34 | CLT 32 | MAR 16 | TAL 11 | PHO 21 | CAR 36 | HOM 43 | ATL 18 | NHA 34 | 33rd | 2752 |
| 2002 | Robert Pressley | 92 | Dodge | DAY 22 | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | BRI | TEX | MAR | TAL | CAL | RCH | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | | | | | | | | TAL DNQ | CLT | MAR | ATL | CAR | PHO | HOM | 67th | 97 |
| 2002 | Stacy Compton | 92 | Dodge | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MCH 30 | BRI | DAR | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 67th | 97 |