There is no doubt that Bill Elliott is one of Georgia’s Favorite Sons. “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” is a nickname salute to his in-state heritage—one that the Wood Brothers/JTG team is hoping will pay some dividends as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series makes its return to the 1.5-mile race track.

The team will carry its primary sponsorship in the form of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford, and this event marks the final time in 2007 that the McKee Foods’ brand will adorn the car, as it has in 17 other events so far this year.

The Wood Brothers/JTG race team will be bringing chassis No. 77 to the Pep Boys Auto 500 Weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Though it is one of last year’s main cars, the team has only used the chassis in 2007 two weeks ago, as a second entry when Jon Wood attempted to make the field at the Kansas Speedway.

Bill Elliott enjoys a stunning record at his home track of Atlanta. Going back to 1976, he has 57 starts at the speedway and Elliott has corralled five wins, 13 top-five finishes and 19 top-10 finishes. He’s led 1,024 laps of competition at the high-banked track and also counts five Bud Pole Awards to his credit—the most recent coming during his 2002 season.

If Elliott can rekindle his magic at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, the No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG team can still gain some ground in their quest to end the season in the top-35 running order—though time is running out. The team remains 142 points from the cutoff line with four races left in the 2007 schedule.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY:
Bill Elliott, Driver of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford:
“As one might expect, I am really looking forward to Atlanta this weekend. We’ve had some pretty rough luck the last three outings and this is likely the place where we can turn it all around. Atlanta has been a very good race track for me and I think all the other drivers agree that it’s one of the best places for racing excitement. It’s always good to be near home—I just hope I can make a difference for these guys this weekend and see if we can gain some ground in the points.”

Gene Nead, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford:
“Even though last week was a big disappointment for us, we came a long way towards working together as a team during the race. This will be just my third race with Bill, but I think we’ve got some great communication going now and the guys have all stepped up their game in the pits and in the garage. I think we’ve got a pretty good car, albeit a little under utilized lately, and I’m anxious to see what it will do for us. We’d sure like for Bill to have a great run here at Atlanta.”