Bobby Allison, NASCAR’s 1983 Cup Series champion, had a strong passion for auto racing. It began when his grandfather, Arthur Patton (a relative of General George Patton), took him to a race as a young boy. By his teens, Bobby was racing on Florida short tracks under an assumed name so his parents, Ed and Kitty Allison, wouldn’t find out what he was doing during his summer weekends. That’s when the dream of becoming a superstar began.
After decades of marvelous success in NASCAR’s Cup Series from 1961 to ’88, the winner of 85 Cup Series races died this past Saturday at the age of 86. The founding member of NASCAR’s legendary “Alabama Gang” enjoyed a fan following millions strong, even after a near-fatal on-track racing accident on June 19, 1988, at Pocono Raceway came close to taking his life.
A member of NASCAR’s second Hall of Fame class in 2011, Allison is fourth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list for its premier series. On Oct. 24, 2024, he was recognized for an 85th victory by NASCAR officials after a long-disputed race win dating back to 1971 at Winston Salem’s Bowman Gray Stadium. The event was a combination race between Grand National (now Cup Series) cars and the Grand American division featuring Mustangs, AMC Javelins, Chevrolet Camaros, and the like, to offer fans a chance to see both divisions race together. The win was finally granted just weeks before his death.
Allison amassed 718 career starts with 336 top-five finishes second only to fellow Hall of Famer Richard Petty.
Before winning his 1983 championship, Allison finished runner-up in the championship standings five times — to Bobby Isaac in 1970, Petty in 1972, Cale Yarborough in 1878 and Darrell Waltrip in 1981 and 1982.
After beginning his Cup Series career in 1961, the native of Miami, Florida, earned 446 top-10 finishes and 59 poles over a 25-year period. He was honored as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.
His list of accomplishments was far-reaching. He won NASCAR’s biggest event, the prestigious Daytona 500, three times (1978, ’82 and ’88). He also won Darlington’s Southern 500 four times (1971, ’72, ’75 and ’83). He also enjoyed victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the sport’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, in 1971, ’81 and ’84.
Possibly his greatest personal victory came during the 1988 Daytona 500, the day he held off his son Davey for the win. It’s the only time in the history of the race a father and son battled for the victory in a one-two finish.
That same year, the elder Allison crashed on the Pocono track and was hit at full speed on the driver’s door area side by another driver. Allison suffered broken bones in his left leg, a bruised lung, broken ribs and a concussion. The head injury caused him to endure a long recovery but did not continue as a driver. He recalled quite a bit of his career but was not able to remember winning the Daytona 500 against his son Davey in 1988.
“I’ve seen the video of winning that race a thousand times, but I just don’t remember it,” Allison said many times. “I see the guy on the screen and the car they say I drove to the win but I never have been able to connect the dots on that.”
Allison also served as a co-owner of Bobby Allison Racing from 1990 to 1996 with various drivers but never put together a consistent winning effort.
One race stood out as one of the most memorable to generations of race fans. At the end of the 1979 Daytona 500, younger brother Donnie Allison and Yarborough crashed in turn three of the 2.5-mile speedway while racing for the win. Bobby stopped to offer Donnie a ride back to the garage area when tempers flared. A fight between the three drivers gained attention on national television, highlighted by a mammoth snowstorm that crippled the entire eastern seaboard. Having no way to leave their homes and only three major networks to choose from in those days (a movie, basketball or NASCAR), the fight introduced millions that had never before seen a NASCAR race.
In Cinderella fashion, Richard Petty won his sixth career Daytona 500 that day, but the fight afterward is still talked about 45 years later.
“He (Yarborough) lunged at me and hit me in the face with his helmet,” Allison said of Yarborough through the years. “Cut my nose, my lip, blood is dripping in my lap and I thought, ‘I’ve got to get out of the car and address this right now or run from him the rest of my life.’ So I got out of the car and the guy got to beating on my fists with his nose.”
Allison had a reputation for being able to drive any type of race car. While with racing icon and team owner Roger Penske, Allison made two starts in the Indianapolis 500 in 1973 and 1975. He also ran Ontario Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway at the 2.5-mile Pocono track in Penske’s open-wheel cars.
Allison was no stranger to tragedy after the crash in 1988.
Four years later, during a practice session in hopes of making his 23rd career (Xfinity Series) start at Michigan, his youngest son Clifford Allison died of injuries sustained in a crash during practice. He was 27 years of age at the time of his death on August 13, 1992.
Then rising star Davey Allison and winner of 19 Cup races including the 1992 Daytona 500, crashed his helicopter while attempting to land at Talladega Superspeedway a day earlier. Davey was 32 at the time of his passing due to injuries on July 13, 1993.
The Allison family also endured the loss of Bobby’s wife, Judy Allison, on Dec. 18, 2015 after complications from surgery.
Throughout his life, he was known as one of NASCAR’s most beloved drivers among fellow competitors and fans alike.
“Bobby Allison personified the term ‘racer.’ 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,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “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’s family said in a statement. “Bobby was the ultimate fan’s driver. 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 was often an inspiration to others with encouraging words to lift their spirits. Even after life had dished out some of his worst personal pain with the loss of his two sons, he continued to find the positives in every situation that came his way. He was a light of hope for so many who loved him around the world.
“I’ve endured some incredible pain during my life, both physically and emotionally,” Allison once said. “But there are so many others that have had worse circumstances than me. If I can offer an encouraging word or thought to make someone’s day a little bit brighter, then I feel that’s what I should strive to do.”
Simply put, that was the definition of Robert Arthur “Bobby” Allison.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison greatest moments
