Bobby Allison, NASCAR Hall of Famer
and 3-time Daytona 500 winner, dies at 86
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[November 11, 2024]
By JENNA FRYER
Bobby Allison, founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and a NASCAR Hall
of Famer, died Saturday. He was 86.
NASCAR released a statement from Allison’s family that said he died
at home in Mooresville, North Carolina. A cause of death wasn’t
given, but Allison had been in declining health for years.
Allison moved to fourth on NASCAR’s Cup Series victory list last
month when chairman Jim France recognized him as the winner of the
Meyers Brothers Memorial at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina in
1971. The sanctioning body updated its record books to reflect the
decision, giving Allison 85 wins and moving him out of a tie with
Darrell Waltrip.
France and longtime NASCAR executive Mike Helton presented Allison
with a plaque commemorating the victory. With it, Allison trails
only fellow Hall of Famers Richard Petty (200), David Pearson (105)
and Jeff Gordon (93) in Cup wins.
Allison was inducted into NASCAR’s second Hall of Fame class, in
2011. He was the 1983 NASCAR champion, finished second in the series
title race five times, and a three-time winner of the Daytona 500.
“Bobby was the ultimate fan’s driver,” Allison’s family said in a
statement. “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.”
He helped put NASCAR on the map with more than his driving. His
infamous fight with Cale Yarborough in the closing laps of the 1979
Daytona 500 served as one of the sport’s defining moments.
“Cale went to beating on my fist with his nose,” Allison has said
repeatedly, often using that phrase to describe the fight. “Cale
understands like I do that it really was a benefit to the interest
of racing. It proves that we were sincere.”
Born in Miami in 1937, Allison started searching for more racing
opportunities outside the Sunshine State. He landed in central
Alabama, where he found a number of small, dirt tracks.
He returned to Florida to get brother Donnie and close friend Red
Farmer. They set up shop in Hueytown, Alabama, and dominated
regional races throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. They were later
joined in the Alabama Gang by Jimmy Mears, Neil Bonnett and Bonnett
and Allison’s sons Davey and Clifford.
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Bobby Allison stands beside his car and talks with the press after
winning the pole position during qualifying for the 500 mile grand
national stock car race at Pocono Raceway, Aug. 2, 1975, in Long
Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/File)
Allison retired in 1988 following a crash at Pocono
that nearly killed him. He was initially declared dead upon reaching
a local hospital but was later resuscitated.
He eventually regained his memory, re-learned everyday activities
and attempted a comeback. But a series of tragedies led Allison to
retire. His son, Clifford, was fatally injured during a crash in
practice for the second-tier Busch Series at Michigan International
Speedway in 1992. A year later, son Davey was killed in a helicopter
crash at Talladega.
Three years after that, Bobby and wife Judy divorced. They
reconnected four years later at their daughter-in-law’s wedding and
were remarried in 2000. They remained together until Judy’s death in
2015.
Allison was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992 and
into the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore,
Pearson and Lee Petty.
“Bobby Allison personified the term ‘racer,’” France said in
statement. “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.
Allison is one of 10 drivers to have won NASCAR’s career “grand
slam” that includes the Cup Series’ most iconic races: the Daytona
500, the Winston 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500.
Allison made six IndyCar Series starts for Roger Penske, including a
pair of Indy 500s.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Long contributed to this report.
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