Bobby Allison, who won 85 NASCAR races over an almost three-decade career that made him one of the most celebrated stock car drivers of all time in the sport, died on Saturday. He was 86.
Racing wasn't always kind to Allison. He lost both of his sons in two tragic NASCAR incidents, while his own career ended after a nearly fatal on-track accident in 1988.
The Florida native currently holds fourth place on NASCAR's all-time premier series win list, and his 336 top-five finishes are second only to fellow Hall-of-Famer Richard Petty. Allison also made 718 career starts, the 14th highest in series history.
He won the prestigious Daytona 500 three times (1978, '82, '88), the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway four times ('71, '72, '75, '83) and was also a three-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ('71, '81, '84).
Born Robert Arthur Allison on Dec. 12, 1937 in Miami, Florida, he became part of the so-called "Alabama Gang", alongside his brother Donnie and veteran modified racer Red Farmer, when the group moved to Hueytown, Alabama, where they dominated the short-track scene. Allison began his full-time premier-series career in 1966.
In 1979, Allison was credited with helping bring NASCAR wider fame around the United States, when he and his brother Donnie hit the national headlines when they fought fellow racer Cale Yarborough at the Daytona 500.
Allison, who had an affable persona, was named NASCAR's most popular driver six times, but he had to wait until he was 45 to finally capture the full NASCAR crown in 1983.
One of the highlights of his career came when he won the 1988 Daytona 500 at the age of 50, holding off a charge from his son Davey, who came in second.
Later that year, a crash at the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Penn., left Allison with broken bones in his left leg, broken ribs, and a concussion. The head injury also left him with gaps in his memory, and the incident ended his NASCAR career as a driver.
Not long afterwards, both of Allison's two sons tragically died in NASCAR-related accidents. In 1992, Clifford Allison died at age 27 in 1992 of injuries sustained in a crash during practice at the Michigan International Speedway. The next year, Davey was killed after crashing his helicopter while attempting to land at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. He was 32.
As well as his two sons, Bobby Allison had two daughters, Bonnie, and Carrie, with his wife Judy, who he married in 1960. The couple divorced in 1996 following the death of their sons, but reunited at a wedding and remarried before Judy's death in 2015.
"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."
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