“The NASCAR family mourns the loss of Bobby Allison, who passed away peacefully at home today at the age of 86,” NASCAR said on its offical X account on Saturday.
“Bobby Allison personified the term ‘racer,’” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said in a 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 built a remarkable career that began in 1961 and concluded midway through the 1988 season.
With numerous accolades, Allison was inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame in its second class in 2011. He currently ranks fourth on NASCAR’s all-time premier series win list.
In 2023, he was honored as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
Allison was one of only 10 drivers to achieve NASCAR’s career “grand slam,” with victories in the Daytona 500 (three times: 1978, 1982, 1988), the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (four times: 1971, 1972, 1975, 1983), and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (three times: 1971, 1981, 1984).
Born in Miami in 1937, Allison, along with his brother Donnie and close friend Red Farmer, moved to Hueytown, Alabama, where they dominated the short-track racing scene in the 1960s and early 1970s, earning them the nickname the “Alabama Gang.”
The Alabama Gang later expanded to include Jimmy Mears, Neil Bonnett, and Allison’s sons, Davey and Clifford.
Though Allison gained fame and fortune during his nearly three-decade racing career, it was marked by family tragedies.
In 1992, his son Clifford was fatally injured in a crash during practice for the Busch Series at Michigan International Speedway. He was 27.
Less than a year after that his younger brother, 32-year-old Davey, was killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega.
Alison’s own career ended after a near-fatal crash at Pocono in 1988. Initially declared dead upon arriving at the hospital, he was later resuscitated.
“In the most significant ways, he gave his all to our sport,” Jim France said in the statement. “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.”
NASCAR published a video about him, saying in the beginning, “Bobby Allison was a fierce competitor known for his versatility behind the wheel and ability to win wherever and whenever he wanted. Allison will forever be remembered as one of NASCAR’s elite talents. “
