Bobby Allison

One of NASCAR's greatest drivers, Bobby Allison was one of the hardest chargers in the history of the sport. He won 84 races in NASCAR's top division in his career (tied with Darrell Waltrip for third in all-time victories) and won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship in 1983. His wins included three Daytona 500 victories, in 1978, 1982, and 1988. Allison achieved this success even though his stints with several teams were short lived. He was often controversial and he and Richard Petty had a much publicized feud in the early 1970s. Born in Florida, he made his home in Hueytown, Alabama along with brother Donnie, and the two became known as "The Alabama Gang" along with family friend Red Farmer, and later, Neil Bonnett. In recent years, however, Bobby Allison has become somewhat of a tragic figure in the NASCAR world. Still competitive in his fifties, Allison survived a terrible crash at Talladega Superspeedway in 1987 in which his car went airborne into the grandstand fence. All was well, however, when son Davey took the win (his first) several hours later. In 1988, he ushered in NASCAR's modern restrictor plate era by winning his third Daytona 500, with son Davey finishing second. Allison called this the greatest day of his life. But his career came to an abrubt halt in July of that year. On the first lap of the race at Pocono Speedway, Allison cut a tire and spun in turn two. His car was then hit in the driver's side by an oncoming car. Suffering from critical head injuries, Allison clung to life in a Pennsylvania hospital for several weeks before eventually recovering. But his career as a driver was over. After his recovery, Allison became a car owner but his team struggled and eventually shut down in the late 1990s. He also helped guide the careers of sons Davey and Clifford, but lost both of them within a year; Clifford in a racing accident in Michigan in 1992, and Davey in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in 1993. During this time, his marriage to wife Judy ended in divorce. Through it all, Bobby Allison has persevered and is still a fixture at many NASCAR events today.