Evernham announces Atwood-Elliott driver pairing.

Finally Ray Evernham has the driver line up he so desperately wanted when he was given the opportunity to run his own Winston Cup outfit. Series veteran Bill Elliott will be joined by 19 year old Busch Grand National sensation Casey Atwood in the brand new two car team of Dodge Intrepid's.

After a long negotiation process, Evernham unveiled the delighted Atwood to the press on Thursday at the Lowe's Motor Speedway where the Winston Cup teams are this weekend competing.

"I'm real honoured to be a part of Evernham Motorsports and Dodge. This is probably one of the greatest days of my life," said a jubilant Atwood. "This is what I've worked for since I started racing."

Atwood has touted as a future champion since the day he burst into the Busch scene in 1998. At the age of just 17 Atwood scored a pole position in the series and last season become the youngest driver to win a Busch Grand National race at the age of 18 years and 10 months.

All team managers look for a blend of youth and experience in their team but Ray Evernham may have taken things too far. It was pointed out to Ray that when Bill Elliott made his debut in NASCAR's Winston Cup championship, Casey Atwood hadn't yet been born!