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NASCAR legend Bobby Allison dies at age 86

Bobby Allison is the fourth-winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bobby Allison died Saturday. He was 86.

His family said in a statement that Allison died at home and surrounded by her family.

“Bobby was the ultimate fan driver,” the family said. “He really enjoyed spending time with his fans and stopped everywhere to sign autographs and chat with them. He was a committed family man and friend and a devout Catholic.”

Allison is one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history. His 85 wins rank fourth among all drivers; only Richard Petty (200 wins), David Pearson (105) and Jeff Gordon (93) have more wins. Allison was tied with Darrell Waltrip for fourth place on the all-time wins list until NASCAR gave him his 85th win a few weeks ago.

This victory came at the 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial 250 at Bowman Gray Speedway. Because the event featured two different types of vehicles, NASCAR never officially announced a winner. Allison was credited with the victory on October 23, as NASCAR said it was the only race in the series' history that did not have an official winner.

“Bobby Allison embodied the term 'racing driver,'” NASCAR CEO Jim France said in a statement Saturday. “While 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. As a driver, he won races and championships in multiple NASCAR divisions. But as the leader of the famous “Alabama Gang,” Bobby had a deep connection with fans. He gave everything for our sport in a very special way. On behalf of the French family and all of NASCAR, I extend my deepest condolences to Bobby’s family, friends and fans on the loss of a NASCAR giant.”

Allison won his only Cup Series championship in 1983 at age 45. Despite being one of NASCAR's top drivers in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, Allison did not have a Cup Series title to his name. Before 1983, he finished second in the Cup Series standings five times and achieved three additional top-four finishes.

But in 1983 he made his breakthrough with six wins over the course of the 30-race season. Driving the No. 22 Buick for DiGard Racing, Allison picked up three straight victories and 25 top-10 finishes in the final third of the season.

Allison scored five more wins since winning that championship and never finished in the top five in the standings again.

In 1979, Allison was part of the famous 1979 Daytona 500 finale, which included his brother Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough. Donnie Allison and Yarborough had an accident on the final lap in the race for victory and the two cars crashed into the wall in Turn 3.

Bobby Allison was a lap behind and stopped at the scene to check on his brother. Once Bobby arrived, Yarborough confronted Bobby and the most famous fight in NASCAR history began.

Allison's career is also marked by two terrible accidents.

In 1987, Allison's car flew into the Talladega catch fence after his car suffered a puncture. The accident injured four spectators and is one of the worst in NASCAR history.

This also led to NASCAR introducing restrictor plates at Talladega and Daytona and led to the pack racing we see at these tracks today. At Daytona and Talladega, cars routinely drove over 200 miles per hour, and NASCAR decided to restrict airflow in the cars' engines to prevent them from accelerating too quickly and thereby driving away from each other.

A year later, Allison was part of another horrific wreck in Pocono. His car crashed head-on into the outside wall before his car was hit on the driver's side. Allison suffered a serious head injury in the accident and was even given last rites.

“I was laying in bed, I woke up in this bed and I was in pain, it seemed to hurt everywhere but especially in my left hip and my left leg,” Allison said. “And I realized I had double vision. And I didn't squint, my right eye looked to the right and my left eye looked to the left. Which was incredibly confusing.”

Allison had to complete an intensive rehabilitation program to regain some normal functions. He also suffered significant memory loss from the accident and said he could not remember the 1988 Daytona 500.

This race, in which he crossed the finish line first ahead of his son Davey Allison, was the last victory of his career. It was also the first time a father and son finished first and second in a NASCAR Cup Series race.

“So I remember this weekend, I won the fishing contest on Wednesday and we had a big party on Sunday night for some reason.”

After the Pocono crash, Allison never competed in the Cup Series again. Meanwhile, Davey developed into one of the best drivers in the Cup Series. Davey won 19 races from 1987 to 1993 and finished third overall in both 1991 and 1992. But midway through the 1993 season, Allison was killed when his helicopter crashed while landing at Talladega for a midseason testing session.

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