Rivalries were quite intense during Allison’s career, such as with Richard Petty in the 1970s and Darrell Waltrip in the early 1980s. Those rivalries are still talked about today as some of the most memorable in the sport’s 75-year history.
“Richard was incredibly passionate about winning and so was I, “Allison said. “That was the foundation of our rivalry that lasted for many years. Our job was to win. It was the same with Darrell Waltrip in Junior’s cars in the early 1980s. I could never beat Richard for a championship but finally did with Darrell in 1983 when I was with DiGard (Racing). He was the champion in 1981 and ’82 and losing to him those years were some tough disappointments.
“With Darrell, we started off as good friends when he came into the sport (1972). That changed when I started beating him on the track,” Allison noted. “We are friends today and I see them at various functions. Back then, the racing and rivalries we were involved in became incredibly intense.”
Kyle Petty, winner of eight Cup Series races of his own, remembers the rivalry his father and Allison had a half century ago.
“The respect those guys had for each other was just as huge as the rivalry,” Petty said. “Bobby continues to amaze me. He is always willing to talk and always willing to sign items for fans. Bobby has meant so much to the sport in so many ways and given so much on a personal level. Not only with the loss of his sons but his health. In my opinion, the sport is better for having the Bobby Allison-Richard Petty rivalry of the 1970s.”
After the crash at Pocono in June 1988, darkness seemed to be all Allison could see. His youngest son, Clifford Allison, died in a single-car accident during an Xfinity Series practice session at Michigan Int’l Speedway on Aug. 13, 1992.
Eleven months later, son Davey Allison died on July 13, 1993, as the result of a helicopter crash at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway a day earlier.
Bobby and Judy Allison divorced, reconciled and remarried. She died in December 2015 after a brief illness.
Larry McReynolds, a former crew chief for Davey Allison and longtime Allison family friend, continues to marvel at Bobby Allison’s strength and courage.
“He’s one person in NASCAR that has gone through so much tragedy and always fought his way back,” McReynolds said. “I think the biggest thing that always kept Bobby and Judy moving forward was their faith. We go to the same Catholic church that the Allisons go to in Mooresville (N.C.) and I’ll sometimes catch myself staring at Bobby. He always sits up toward the front. I sit and wonder how in the world did he get through all that he’s been through and still have a positive attitude. He is a great ambassador of our sport. Even at his age, you’ll still see him at a lot of races. He’s always very fan friendly.”
Now 85, Allison continues to take life day by day.
“The way I always looked at it, I thought I would race forever,” Allison said. “I was 50 years old in 1988 and didn’t see why I couldn’t race as long as I wanted to. I won my third Daytona 500 in 1988. Then came Pocono, a track where I had won a few times, and everything changed.
“I’ve seen some incredibly good times in the sport and some unspeakably bad times. But it’s still truly a great sport,” Allison continued. “There are things in my life I don’t understand. There has been incredible pain that I’ve endured and continue to endure. And there was more pain when we lost Judy in 2015.
“Still, there are people that have it tougher than I’ve had it and they need to hear kind words of strength and encouragement. We need to continue to dwell on the good times. I’ll continue to try to offer that to anyone the best that I can.”
This story appeared in the Sept 27, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
