Bobby Allison of the Alabama Gang has died at the age of 86

by Junna Base November 10, 2024

There was a time when Hueytown, Alabama, was as big a part of NASCAR’s geography as Daytona Beach and Charlotte. Bobby Allison, his brother Donnie Allison, and their friend Red Farmer made this possible by making stock cars go fast and then driving them that way.

Under the collective nickname “Alabama Gang,” each of them succeeded in the sport at a level that earned them a spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. But at the highest level of stock car racing, Bobby Allison managed to enter the discussion among the best drivers in history.

Allison died Saturday at age 86, NASCAR announced.

Despite his connection to Alabama, Allison was not from the state. Instead, he was drawn to Alabama from Florida because of its vibrant racing scene.

“What brought me to Alabama was paved tracks when I was ready to expand my racing career,” Allison told AL.com in 2017. “I felt quite comfortable on asphalt, but quite uncomfortable on unpaved roads.” . I came to Alabama because I heard there were good paved trails in Alabama. My brother Donnie came with me. A few others came from South Florida – a driver named Gil Hearn and a car owner named Kenny Andrews.

“We went to Montgomery Speedway and the promoter said, ‘We’re running here tomorrow night, but tonight they’re running at Dixie Speedway near Birmingham.’ So we said, “Which way is this?” And he pointed and we got in the trucks and went to center field and found Dixie Speedway. I won a decent amount of money on Friday night at Dixie – my winnings that night were $135, which was the largest purse I had ever collected at that point in my career. We spent the night there and drove on to Montgomery on Saturday evening. I met the drivers on this track and some other competitors from Alabama. I made friends with a lot of competitors and the organizers and fans were very open-minded. For me it was just a good offer. I had never won a feature event in my career and it seemed like I was on the verge of victory when Sonny Black beat me with his more powerful Cadillac. But I won a lot of money and we jumped to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl on Sunday night.

“Alabama has become a very special place for me and Donnie. I got married the following spring. Judy and I moved to Alabama. We loved the people, the place, the racetracks and the sport we played there. I really loved Alabama.”

Allison raced across the state on his way to the top rung of the racing ladder.

“Birmingham. Montgomery,” Allison said in 2017. “Huntsville had a quarter-mile speedway. That was a great place for me. I won there several times. Mobile built a track and I ran there. Pensacola, Florida is located there right on the south side of Alabama, so I almost consider that an Alabama track, and I was lucky there. I ran in Columbus, Georgia, Macon, I also ran Nashville and Chattanooga had a lot of good places to run to build my racing career.”

Allison competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1961 to 1988, ranging from the Grand National to the Winston Cup.

Allison won 85 races at NASCAR’s top level, including the Daytona 500 three times, the Southern 500 four times and four races at Talladega Superspeedway, won the 1983 Winston Cup championship and was voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver in eight seasons.

Allison’s racing career led him to the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the second class of inductees, but it wasn’t a joyride.

A horrific accident during the Miller High Life 500 at Pocono Raceway on June 19, 1988 abruptly ended his career. In 1992, his son Clifford died in an accident at Michigan International Speedway. In 1993, his son Davey died in a helicopter crash in Talladega.

Along the way, Allison played a central role in perhaps NASCAR’s most famous scene, as he and his brother Donnie traded blows with fellow driver Cale Yarbrough next to wrecked cars in the infield grass just before the finish line as Richard Petty drove past to win the 1979 Daytona 500.

Allison and his wife Judy lived in Hueytown from the 1980s until their move to Charlotte, North Carolina in the early 2000s. Her daughter Bonnie put the 4.8-acre family property up for sale in 2023.

Allison’s death occurred less than a month after his final victory.

In October, NASCAR recognized Allison’s win at the Myers Brothers Memorial at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on August 6, 1971, entering the victory into its official record book.

By recognizing a Cup victory, Allison avoided a duel with Darrell Waltrip and finished alone in fourth place for victories in the NASCAR Cup Series. Petty holds the record with 200 wins, followed by David Pearson with 105 and Jeff Gordon with 93.