Bobby Allison was a NASCAR Hall of Fame racecar driver whose triumphs include 85 Winston Cup victories and three Daytona 500 wins over the course of his decades-long career.
- Died: November 9, 2024 (Who else died on November 9?)
- Details of death: Died in Mooresville, North Carolina at the age of 86.
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Bobby Allison’s legacy
Stock car racer Allison was tied for fifth place on NASCAR’s all-time victory list until October 2024, when NASCAR’s sanctioning body ruled him the winner of a 1971 race at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina, elevating him to fourth. The win moved him up to 85 victories overall, further cementing what had already been one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport.
Allison began racing while still in high school in Florida, but four years after his 1955 graduation, he moved to Alabama with his brother, Donnie, and several others to pursue a career in racing. He won almost right away on the short-track circuit, then just kept winning. Soon, he and his crew were dubbed The Alabama Gang, and Allison was on his way to becoming one of the most decorated drivers in NASCAR history.
Over the course of his career, he racked up 85 Winston Cup wins, as well as three at the Daytona 500. He had 717 racing wins overall in over 2,400 starts across many divisions. In 1988, when he won his third Daytona 500, the second-place driver was none other than his son, Davey. However, a crash at the Miller High Life 500 that same year almost took Allison’s life and effectively ended his career behind the wheel.
Just a few years later, two of his sons, Clifford and Davey, were killed in crashes, Clifford in 1992, while practicing for a NASCAR race, and Davey in 1993, attempting to land his helicopter.
Allison is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, as well as the International Motorsports, Alabama Sports, North Carolina Sports, and Motorsports halls of fame. He is also in the Texaco Walk of Fame and was twice named Auto Racing Driver of the Year, among many other honors.
Tributes to Bobby Allison
Full obituary: NASCAR.com
