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.

Melling Racing
Owner(s)Harry Melling (1982–1999)
Mark Melling (1999–2002)
BaseMooresville, North Carolina
SeriesWinston Cup
Race driversBill Elliott, Jerry Nadeau, Lake Speed, Stacy Compton
SponsorsCoors Brewing, Turner Broadcasting, Spam, Kodiak
ManufacturerFord, Dodge
Opened1982
Closed2003
Career
Debut1982 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Latest race2002 Pepsi 400 by Farmer Jack (Michigan International Speedway)
Drivers' Championships1
Race victories34

History

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Car Nos. 9 and 92 History

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Bill Elliott and success (1982–1991)

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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.[1] 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.

 
Melling Racing car that set the record for the fastest recorded time in a stock car - 212.809 mph at Talladega Superspeedway

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)

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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.

 
Nadeau in the Melling Racing No. 9 at Dover, 1998
 
Lake Speed in the Cartoon Network No. 9 Ford, about to qualify for the Pocono Raceway Winston Cup Race, June 1998.

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.[2] In the team's final race, Stacy Compton led three laps.[2][3]

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.[4]

Team Results

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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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 DAY
10
CAR
30
RCH 28th 2582
Dorsey Schroeder ATL
35
Dave Mader III DAR
34
BRI
16
NWS
DNQ
MAR
21
TAL
18
CLT
39
Chad Little 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
1993 DAY
24
CAR RCH CLT
34
38th 942
Greg Sacks ATL
23
DAR BRI NWS
P. J. Jones 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
1994 Joe Ruttman DAY
18
42nd 1103
Rich Bickle 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
Phil Parsons MCH
31
BRI DAR
15
RCH
DNQ
DOV MAR NWS
36
CLT
DNQ
CAR PHO ATL
1995 Lake Speed 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 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 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 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
Butch Gilliland SON
24
Jerry Nadeau 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
1999 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
Steve Grissom BRI
39
DAR
39
RCH
30
Rich Bickle NHA
20
DOV
36
MAR
37
CLT
39
TAL
41
Stacy Compton CAR
36
PHO
39
HOM
30
ATL
DNQ
2000 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
Bobby Hillin Jr. BRI
40
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 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
Stacy Compton MCH
30
BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV KAN

References

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  1. ^ Moore,Terry. "Harry Melling: 1945-1999". Michigan Golfer. Archived from the original on 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  2. ^ a b Mark Melling Winston Cup Owner Statistics - Racing-Reference.info
  3. ^ Stacy Compton 2002 Winston Cup Results - Racing-Reference.info
  4. ^ "Germain/Arnold Racing enters series' final races".
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