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is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers, he was the 1983 Winston Cup champion and won the Daytona 500 three times in 1978, 1982, and 1988. His two sons, Clifford and Davey Allison, followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other. Allison was born December 3, 1937 in Miami, Florida. He entered his first race as a senior at Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School in Miami. Since he was only 17, he had to have his parents' permission so he thought when his mother said "OK", it was forever, but she thought it was for only one race. After graduating high school in 1955, Allison's mother thought she would derail his racing interest by sending him to Wisconsin to work for Mercury Outboard Motors, where her brother-in-law, Jimmy Hallett, was the national sales manager. Unbeknownst to her, Carl Kiekhaefer was the owner of Mercury Outboard Motors, where Allison ended up working as a mechanic and an engine tester. Carl Kiekhaefer also owned race cars. While employed at Mercury Outboard Motors, Allison worked in the boat division for 10 months, then was transferred to the racecar division. During the 2 months he worked in the racecar division for Carl Kiekhaefer, he went to 19 races — mostly Grand National (today known just as the NASCAR Cup Series), and a few

Convertible races. Every one of those races was won by a Carl Kiekhaefer car from the shop in which he worked. Kiekhaefer was a hard person to work for and several people got fired, so Allison decided to go back to Miami only after a little over 2 months. In 1956,having returned to Miami, Allison started his own racing again. His parents said he couldn't race and live at home, so Allison came up with a fictitious name (Bob Sunderman) which was used only once as he finished well enough to make the Sunday paper and his Dad saw it and knew who it was and told him that if he was going to race to do it with honor and use his own name. In 1959, Allison took his brother,

Donnie, Kenny Andrews—who owned a car (whose Dad owned Andy Racing Wheels) and Gil Hearne went along as Kenny's driver on a quest for more lucrative racing than was available in South Florida. Their searching led them to Montgomery Motor Speedway in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was told of a race that very night in Midfield, Alabama near Birmingham. Allison entered and finished 5th in that race, which paid more than finishing 2nd in any big race in South Florida. He went to Montgomery the next night, won the preliminary races, and finished 2nd in

the feature, winning $400, having found his lucrative racing. The brothers returned home and Bobby talked his friend Red Farmer into coming back to Alabama with him. They had immediate success and soon they began answering to the name The Alabama Gang. Allison became a known driver and won the national championship in the modified special division in 1962. Allison moved full-time to the Grand National circuit in 1965 and got his first victory at Oxford Plains Speedway on July 12, 1966. He alos got two other wins in 1966 (Islep, NY; Beltsville, MD). He would also finish 10th in the points running just 33 of the 49 races. 1967 saw Allison run the Daytona 500 in the Bud Moore owned #16 Mercury. He ran 45 of 49 races that season and claimed six wins. He closed out the season winning the final two races of 1967. Then he won the first race of 1968; but would only win one other race the rest of the season. He would drive the #29 Long Lewis sponsored Dodge. He did post 18 top 5 finishes in the 37

races he ran. 1969 saw NASCAR run an amazing 54 races; but Allison would only run 27 of them. Even though Bobby only ran 1/2 of the races, he did manage to win five times. 1970 saw the aero-wars and the introduction of the Plymouth Super Bird and the Dodge Charger, with their big tall wings and wide supports. Competition was keen and Allison was only able to post three wins; but consistent finishes left him second in the points chase to Bobby Isaac. Allison would have a great season in 1971 and visit victory lane 11 times. Allison showed his versatility as he won five races in a row. From the 1 1/2 mile speedway at

Charlotte; and the road course at Riverside, down to the 1/2 mile bull ring at Houston TX. Later in the season he would go on another tear and win five out of eight races; with the three races he didn't win he finished second twice and fourth. He claimed a win in the Southern 500 in the process. He also won his first road course race (Riverside). He turned out to be a good road course racer as he would win on the road courses five times. Even with all this success the best he could muster in the points was a fourth as Richard Petty claimed the title. Allison had another great season in 1972 claiming ten wins in his #12 Coca Cola car. He ran all 31 races this season and of all the 31 events he only had four finished worse than sixth; but Petty would win the Championship for the second year in a row. 1973 and 1974 would only see Allison win twice each year; and not contend for the Championship.

the Championship beating Allison by over 450 points. It wasn't a terrible year for Allison however as he visited victory lane five times; including a win in the Daytona 500. Allison won five times again in 1979; including another Riverside win; as he finished third in points. But it was a different incident that made history and is remembers well today. Early in the 1979 Daytona 500, Bobby, his brother Donnie and rival Cale Yarborough tangled early in the race. Donnie led the second half of the race while Yarborough made up his lost laps through caution periods. By the time there were eight laps to go, Yarborough reached second place and set his eyes on passing Donnie. Bobby was two laps down and was 1/4 mile ahead of the two rivals as Yarborough and Donnie crashed on the final lap. Richard Petty went by and won the race. Bobby passed

the wreckage, finished the race, and on his way back around Bobby stopped to check on his brother and make sure he wasn't hurt. He pulled over to the wreck site to offer Donnie a ride to the garage area. Yarborough ran up to Bobby and, according to Bobby, Yarborough was yelling that Bobby was at fault and hit him in the face with his helmet—cutting his nose and his lip. Bobby climbed out and a fist-fight broke out. This fight led to a $6,000 fine each for Yarborough and the Allison brothers. In 2000 when asked about the fist-fight Bobby said "I stopped to offer Donnie a ride to the garages and

Cale comes running up saying I caused the wreck. I tried to tell him he had the wrong person. And I've said before, I think I questioned his ancestry. He hit me in the face with his helmet and I saw blood dripping onto my shirt. I thought 'If I don't stop this I'll be running from Cale for the rest of my life.' I climbed out and throttled him. He ran his nose into my fist several times. My story and I'm sticking to it forever. He never challenged me again. The fine surprised me, but the fact that it brought NASCAR onto the map makes it all worth every penny." To this day, Allison maintains that Yarborough was "beating his face on my fist". Allison started off 1980 with high expectations of a Championship; and he had four wins. But inconsistent finished would relegate him to a sixth place finish in the points. At the end of the 1980 season Allison would announce that he would wheel the #28 Hardee's Buick.

He would start and finish the season winning at Riverside and added a win at Talladega and one in the World 600 also. Once again Allison would finish second in the points chase as this year as Darrell Waltrip would edge him out by about 50 points. Even though he finished second he left Harry Ranier Racing to go drive for the DiGard team in 1982 in the Gatorade machine. 1982 would be a mirror if 1981. Once again Waltrip would win the Championship and once again Allison would finish second. This would be the fifth time Allison had finished second in the points. The season did have it's high points however as Allison once

again won the Daytona 500, among his seasons eight wins. Finally in 1983 Allison would break through and win the Championship. He won six times; including the Southern 500; and out distanced Darrell Waltrip by 47 points to claim the title. Allison had back luck the following year; winning only twice and finishing sixth in the points wheeling his #22 Miller High Life Buick. Allison would drive a Miller Beer sponsored car for the rest of his career. Allison went win-less in 1985 and moved to the Stavola Brothers Race team for 1986. He won one race at Talladega but could only finish seventh in points. 1987 was more of the same - One win (Daytona Fire Cracker 400) and finished ninth in the points chase. 1987 was also the season that saw his car cut down a tire, turn sideways and go airborne into the protective catch fence that separates the speedway from the grandstands. The impact with the fence with the rear of the car at over 200 miles per hour tore down nearly 100 yards of fencing. Parts and pieces of the car went flying into the grandstand injuring several spectators. The following year, NASCAR mandated restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega to keep speeds under 200 miles per

hour. 1988 started with a bang. Allison was able to claim his third Daytona 500 win; outracing his son Davey Allison to the checkers. But at Talladega, Allison career would come to a crashing end. Allison crashed on lap 1 of the Miller High Life 500 at Pocono. Initially he survived a head-on hit into the outside barrier but then suddenly Jocko Maggiacomo t-boned Allison in the driver's side of the car. Allison nearly died. When he reached a local hospital he was initially declared dead. Medical assistance saved his life. Reports stated he had broken at least one leg, had abdominal trauma, internal bleeding, a bruised heart, broken ribs, a concussion, and bleeding on the brain. The doctors had to drill a hole in his skull to relieve the growing pressure. Because he had to go through a rehab program from his vegetative state, he retired from driving in

NASCAR. After regaining most of his memory and re-learning every day activities, Allison prepared to attempt a comeback in the early-1990's. However, a series of tragedies led Allison to abort his comeback attempt, thus retiring from driving in NASCAR. In 1992, his younger son, Clifford Allison, was fatally injured in a practice crash for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Michigan International Speedway. In 1993, his son Davey was killed in a helicopter accident at Talladega Super Speedway. Three years after these major tragedies, he and his wife Judy divorced. Four years after their divorce, while attending their daughter-in-law's wedding, they reconnected. They were remarried in July 2000 and remained together until her death in 2015. He is the oldest driver (50 years) ever to win the Daytona 500 and he and Davey are the first one-two father/son finish in the Daytona 500. Ironically, Bobby now has no memory of the final win of his career or of celebrating together with his son in Victory Lane. For his career, Allison competed in 718 races, with 84 victories. He also posted 336 top 5 finishes. Allison was the Winston Cup champion in 1983, but finished second in the points five other times (1970, '72, '78, '81, '82). Allison made 43 Xfinity starts, winning twice, Charlotte 1984, and Daytona 1988. Allison is one of nine drivers to have won what was then considered a career Grand Slam (an unofficial term) by winning the sport's four majors: the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500. Only nine

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ROBERT ARTHUR "BOBBY" ALLISON - 12/3/1937 -