By james art NASCAR victory recognized 53 years later for Bobby Allison
It’s not often that we bring you news from the world of motor racing, but sometimes amazing stories come along that deserve our attention. The one that swept the NASCAR (National Stock Car Association) world this week falls into that category.
It is about one of the legends of the sport, the former pilot Bobby Allison, who is now 86 years old. To get an idea of who he is, think of Jean Beliveau in hockey or Arnold Palmer in golf; a dominant player, a great gentleman and a great ambassador for his sport.
On August 6, 1971, Bobby Allison entered a race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The race was held at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and featured cars from the major series of the time, as well as a smaller series of slightly smaller models. Behind the wheel of one of them, a 1969 Ford Mustang, Bobby Allison crossed the line first. He got the winner’s trophy and check, but other drivers complained about it, so NASCAR didn’t record an official winner (the thing would be entered and then withdrawn).
Bobby Allison | Photo: Facebook page
Bobby Allison complained to then-NASCAR president Bill France Jr., but to no avail.
This week, after more than five decades, the organization finally awarded the victory to Bobby Allison. Why did NASCAR make this decision this year? Well, the series is planning a demonstration race at the 2025 venue, which has brought the subject of the 1971 race back into the discussion. It was then decided to correct the mistake made. The weather. Jim France, brother of Bill France Jr., spoke on behalf of the series:
As we began to prepare for the next clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium, the subject of this August 6, 1971 contest came to the fore. We felt it was only right to officially recognize Bobby’s victory and honor him as an 85-time NASCAR Cup Series winner. We are grateful to Bobby for the contributions he made to NASCAR throughout his life.
As of last week, Bobby Allison had 84 wins on the big circuit, tying him with Darrell Waltrip for fourth all-time behind Richard Petty (200), David Pearson (105) and Jeff Gordon (93). With that recognition, Bobby Allison is now alone in fourth place with 85 wins, one ahead of Waltrip.
The story doesn’t tell us how Bobby Allison reacted. He had to end his career in the late 1980s after a serious accident that affected his memory. He forgot some of the great moments of his career. However, he has long argued that he deserves recognition for this victory, and he just got it.
As another former NASCAR driver, Kenny Wallace, said, “Now he can die in peace.