Bobby Allison

Bobby Allison (born December 3, 1937) was one of the first NASCAR drivers and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. Born in Miami, Florida, he entered his first race as a senior in high school, but was ordered to quit by his father after a few accidents.

Win Controversy

Officially, according to NASCAR.com, Bobby Allison has won 84 races, placing him in third place on the all-time wins list, tied with Darrell Waltrip. Unofficially, Bobby Allison has won 85 races, and should be possibly be credited with 86 wins. The controvery lies in two races: the 1971 Myers Brothers 250 held at Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), and the 1973 National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Charlotte, North Carolina.)

Related Topics:
Darrell Waltrip - 1971 - Bowman Gray Stadium - 1973 - Charlotte Motor Speedway

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1971 Myers Brothers 250

The 1971 Myers Brothers 250 was held August 6, 1971 at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The first car to cross the finish line after 250 laps was driven by Bobby Allison. No one is disputing these facts. What is disputed, is how, and was he a legitimate Grand National driver, and as such, entitled to the Winner title. In 1971, the number of cars racing were low, and NASCAR decided to allow entries from what was known at that time as the Grand American Series. For that race, and the race following at West Virginia International Speedway, Allison raced in one of those "field fillers", a 1970 Ford Mustang. (the #49, sponsored by Rollins Leasing, owned by Melvin Joseph) As he was not racing in a Grand National car, he never received credit. It has been rumored that recently, NASCAR decided to finally credit him with the victory, but this can neither confirmed, nor reflected in the statistics kept on NASCAR's web site.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1973 National 500

The 1973 National 500 was held October 7, 1973 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The first three cars to cross the finish line after the scheduled 334 laps (501 miles) were driven by Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, and Bobby Allison, in that order. Again, these facts are not disputed. What is disputed, is the legality of the first two cars' engines, recounted in Jim Mclaurin?s book ?NASCAR'S Most Wanted", in the chapter ?Fudgin? With the Rules?:

Related Topics:
Cale Yarborough - Richard Petty

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:In the 1973 National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Allison protested that the engines in winner Cale Yarborough's and second-place Richard Petty's cars were over-sized. NASCAR inspected all three of the top finishers, and Allison's engine fit the cubic-displacement specs. Six hours after the inspections began, NASCAR technical director Bill Gazaway told the press that the results were being sent to headquarters in Daytona for a final decision.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:Monday afternoon NASCAR released a statement saying that, because the inspection facilities at Charlotte were inadequate, the pre-race inspection numbers would be used-when all three cars were legal and that the results would stand.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:Allison threatened both to quit and to sue. It was not until after a private meeting with NASCAR President Bill France, Jr., a week later that Allison was assuaged. Speculation was that Allison had been bought off. Allison wouldn't confirm or deny it, saying only that he had ?received satisfactory restitution?.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The results were never changed, but many to this day still believe that Allison was robbed of yet another win to add to his already long list.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

See also: List of NASCAR drivers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~