One of the founding members of the Alabama Gang, Bobby Allison, died on Saturday, NASCAR announced.
Allison, 86, won 85 NASCAR races with the final one being recognized just last month by NASCAR as they ruled him the winner of a disputed 1971 race. He won the NASCAR Champions in 1983 and won three Daytona 500s. He won the 1986 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Allison moved to Hueytown, Alabama, from Florida and helped start the Alabama Gang with his brother Donnie and Red Farmer. The trio, and later others, ran a NASCAR shop out of Hueytown.
Allison was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011, joined by Alabama Gang members Farmer and Donnie later. His son, Davey, was also inducted.
“Bobby was the ultimate fan’s driver. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his fans and would stop to sign autographs and have conversations with them everywhere he went,” part of a statement from the Allison family read.
With being granted the 85th win last month, Allison now sits fourth all-time in NASCAR wins with Darrell Waltrip. He placed inside the top-five 336 times, which is second in NASCAR history. Allison’s NASCAR career came to an end with a crash at Pocono in 1988, a year after a bad wreck at Talladega.
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“Bobby Allison personified the term ‘racer.’ Though 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 across several NASCAR divisions. But as the leader of the famous ‘Alabama Gang,’ Bobby connected with fans in a profound manner. In the most significant ways, he gave his all to our sport. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to Bobby’s family, friends and fans on the loss of a NASCAR giant,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France wrote in a statement.
Allison suffered heartbreak following the end of his NASCAR career as both of his sons, Clifford and Davey, passed away less than a year apart in 1992 and 1993. Clifford died due to injuries after a crash during a practice while Davey died from injuries suffered in a helicopter crash at Talladega.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Alabama Gang member, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison dies at 86
