Join us as we remember the life of NASCAR Hall of Famer and 1983 NASCAR champion Bobby Allison.
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00:00Bobby Allison was a fierce competitor, known for his versatility behind the wheel and ability
00:11to win wherever and whenever he wanted.
00:16Allison will forever be remembered as one of NASCAR's elite talents.
00:20This is Bobby Allison, a factor in every race he entered.
00:24Standing on the throttle, Bobby Allison takes first place.
00:27It's a great feeling to come out on top in a battle like that.
00:31Bobby Allison was the best stock car driver who ever lived.
00:36Bobby always gave 100% on the racetrack and off the racetrack.
00:41Born in Miami, Florida, Allison made a name for himself on the local dirt tracks.
00:46My grandfather came to live with us and he would take one of his kids to an event.
00:52He said, come on Bobby, we're going to the car races.
00:56And I thought this was the neatest thing I had ever seen.
00:59I put a seatbelt in that car and I painted the number on the door with shoe polish.
01:05And I went to every race that I could get to.
01:09In the late 1950s, he left the short tracks of South Florida to settle in Hueytown, Alabama,
01:15where he won NASCAR modified special division titles in both 1962 and 1963, followed by
01:22two more NASCAR modified division titles in 1964 and 1965.
01:29He competed on tracks across the South alongside his brother Donnie and friend Red Farmer,
01:35and the trio steadily built a reputation of domination.
01:41And we went to Asheville, Weaverville and come towing in there for a 200-lifer and Jack
01:45Ingram said, uh-oh, here comes that dang Alabama gang.
01:49Here comes the Alabama gang.
01:50Here comes that damn Alabama gang again.
01:53And I thought it just sounded neat.
01:55And so we became the Alabama gang.
01:58In the 70s, Allison's career hit on all cylinders as he won dozens of races and set a record
02:05comparable to one of the great benchmarks in all of sport.
02:08Bobby Allison is on the point.
02:10He's considered a pioneer when it comes to running up front.
02:13Bobby set a record that compares with Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak.
02:20He led 39 consecutive cup races.
02:24Nobody has ever led 39 straight since then, and I don't think anybody ever will.
02:30Bobby Allison slips through and takes first place in an unbelievable display of driving
02:35skill.
02:36You know, everybody that ever raced Bobby Allison that could beat him had a rivalry
02:42with him.
02:43The toughest competitor was Donnie Allison, but I had raced against him on the short tracks
02:48and I already knew how tough he was.
02:51On the track, Bobby and Donnie could fight like brothers.
02:55Off the track, their bond was impossible to break.
02:58In the 1979 Daytona 500, that combination shaped the story of NASCAR.
03:03Donnie Allison throws the block.
03:06Cale hits him.
03:07He slides.
03:08Donnie Allison slides.
03:09They're going to get it.
03:10They drive in the turn.
03:11They're hitting the wall.
03:12They're out of it.
03:13Bobby pulls up and he says, are you all right?
03:16And I said, I'm fine.
03:18All of a sudden, Cale's hitting Bobby to the window.
03:21How Bobby got out of the car that fast that day, I have no idea.
03:25And there's a fight.
03:26The tempers overflowing.
03:29Bobby's not a fighter, but you get him in the right category, he's going to fight you.
03:33And Cale Yarborough found that out.
03:36For Bobby, racing was a family affair, and over the years, the Allison family was cherished
03:41by race fans, whether they were cheering on brother and brother or father and son.
03:48And the winner of the 30th annual Great American Race, Bobby Allison.
03:53Davey Allison, his son and second.
03:55What a tremendous family performance.
03:58Allison was a journeyman, winning races with 12 different car owners and 8 different manufacturers.
04:05But for his fans, it didn't matter what kind of car he was driving or who he was driving
04:10for, as long as he won races and made headlines.
04:14And look at this crowd go berserk.
04:18Between their drivers, Bobby Allison wins the Alabama 500.
04:26In 1983, Allison earned the Premier Series Championship, a crowning achievement for the
04:32career of one of NASCAR's winningest drivers.
04:35I can't say, and I can't put into words, what an honor this really is.
04:43Allison's career featured more than 80 Premier Series wins, including four Southern 500s.
04:48He was also a three-time winner of both the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.
04:55In 2011, Allison received the sport's ultimate honor as he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall
05:00of Fame.
05:02And in 2023, as part of the sport's 75th anniversary celebration, he was recognized
05:08as one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.
05:13Bobby Allison was a supreme talent behind the wheel, a legend who dedicated his life
05:19to the pursuit of motorsport excellence.