Bill Elliott’s late father, George Elliott, was as loyal a Ford supporter as they came. His sons went on to carry the banner for Ford Racing in the 1980s, and Bill Elliott spent the last four seasons driving Ford’s most famous car, the No. 21 of the Wood Brothers Race team.

But when testing opens at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, Elliott will be driving a Chevrolet – the No. 09 of Phoenix Racing.

Elliott said he plans to run at least 18 races in the James Finch-owned car, and said that he feels he’s plenty capable of giving the car a good run.

“I’m still in good shape physically,” he said, adding that he was pleased with the way he ran at times last fall in the Wood Brothers Ford.

The team will use engines and equipment from Hendrick Motorsports, and the deal also means that Finch will help support Elliott’s son, Chase, who stunned the short track world with his success in 2010, when he won the Winchester 400, a race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and the Gulf Coast championship, which includes racing at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla, and Mobile International Speedway.

“I watched Chase at the Snowball Derby,” Finch said. “That kid’s going to be the real deal.”

Finch said he plans to run the full Sprint Cup schedule with the No. 09, and that Elliott could make more starts depending on sponsorship. He said he’s cutting back on his Nationwide Series efforts and will focus on the races at Daytona and Talladega.

– Rick Minter can be reached at rminter@racintoday.com

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