And his reputation as a hard-charger grew. "He was about as tough as they come," seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty said. "Junior did one thing ― running as hard as he could as long as he ...

NASCAR's second-tier circuit. Furthermore, the victories came in Elliott's maiden voyages at two of the sport's toughest tracks — super-fast Texas Motor Speedway and hard-knock Darlington Raceway.