NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bobby Allison died Saturday. He was 86.
His family said in a statement that Allison had died at home and surrounded by family.
“Bobby was the ultimate fan’s driver,” the family said. “He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his fans and would stop to sign autographs and have conversations with them everywhere he went. He was a dedicated family man and friend, and a devout Catholic.”
Allison is one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history. His 85 victories rank fourth among all drivers; only Richard Petty (200 wins), David Pearson (105) and Jeff Gordon (93) have more victories. Allison had been tied for fourth on the all-time wins list with Darrell Waltrip until just weeks ago, when NASCAR awarded him with an 85th victory.
That win was for the 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial 250 at Bowman Gray Speedway. Since two different types of cars had been raced in that event, NASCAR never officially announced a winner. Allison was credited with the win on Oct. 23 as NASCAR said it had been the only race in series history that didn’t have an official winner.
“Bobby Allison personified the term ‘racer,’” NASCAR CEO Jim France said in a statement on Saturday. “Though he is best known as one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history, his impact on the sport extends far beyond the record books. As a driver, he won races and championships across several NASCAR divisions. But as the leader of the famous ‘Alabama Gang,’ Bobby connected with fans in a profound manner. In the most significant ways, he gave his all to our sport. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to Bobby’s family, friends and fans on the loss of a NASCAR giant.”
Allison won his only Cup title at the age of 45
Allison won his only Cup Series championship at the age of 45 in 1983. Despite being one of NASCAR’s best drivers throughout the late 1960s and the entire 1970s, Allison didn’t have a Cup Series title to his name. Before 1983, he had finished second in the Cup Series standings five times and had three other top-four finishes.
But he broke through in 1983 with six victories over the course of the 30-race season. Driving the No. 22 Buick for DiGard Racing, Allison reeled off three straight wins over the final third of the season and had 25 top-10 finishes.
Allison scored hustling five more wins since he won that championship and never finished in the top five of the standings again.
In 1979, Allison was part of the famous ending to the 1979 Daytona 500 that included his brother Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough. Donnie Allison and Yarborough crashed while racing for the win on the final lap and the two cars hit the wall in Turn 3.
Bobby Allison was laps down and stopped at the scene of the crash to check on his brother. After Bobby pulled up to the scene, Yarborough confronted Bobby and the most famous fight in NASCAR history began.
Allison’s crash at Talladega led to big changes
Allison’s career is also defined by two vicious crashes.
In 1987, Allison’s car went flying into the Talladega catch fence after his car cut a tire. The crash injured four spectators and is among one of the most vicious in NASCAR history.
It also led to NASCAR’s implementation of restrictor plates at Talladega and Daytona and led to the pack racing we see at those tracks today. Cars were routinely going over 200 MPH at Daytona and Talladega, and NASCAR moved to restrict the airflow in cars’ engines to prevent them from accelerating too quickly and thus driving away from each other.
A year later, Allison was part of another horrific wreck at Pocono. His car went head-on into the outside wall before his car got hit in the driver’s side. Allison suffered a significant head injury in the crash and was even given last rites.
“I was laying in the bed, woke up laying in this bed and I hurt, I seemed to hurt everywhere but especially in my left hip and my left leg,” Allison said. “And I realized that I had double vision. And I wasn’t cross-eyed, my right eye looked to the right and my left eye looked to the left. Which was incredibly perplexing.”
Allison had to go through an intensive rehab program just to regain some normal functions. He also suffered a significant loss of memory from the crash and said that he couldn’t remember the 1988 Daytona 500.
That race, where he crossed the finish line first ahead of his son Davey Allison, turned out to be the final victory of his career. It was also the first time a father and son had finished first and second in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
“So what I remember about that weekend was I won the fishing contest on Wednesday and we had a big party on Sunday night for something.”
Allison never made another Cup Series start after that Pocono crash. Meanwhile, Davey emerged as one of the best drivers in the Cup Series. Davey won 19 races from 1987 through 1993 and had finished third in the standings in both 1991 and 1992. But midway through the 1993 season, Allison was killed when his helicopter crashed while landing at Talladega for a midseason test session.
