NASCAR LEGEND ALLISON TO BE HONORED
AT STAFFORD
“ Alabama Gang” Member Was
Two-Time Modified National Champion
As part of the season-long celebration of 60 Years of Modified
Champions, two-time NASCAR Modified titlist Bobby Allison will be
honored at the CARQUEST Fall Final on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford
(Conn.) Motor Speedway.
Allison, a resident of Mooresville, N.C., captured the 1964 and
1965 NASCAR Modified Division titles prior to his rise to stardom in
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Named one of “NASCAR’s 50 Greatest
Drivers” in 1998, Allison’s dominant two-year run in the Modifieds
put him on the map as a force to be reckoned within the world of
NASCAR racing.
Allison’s first title came in 1964 when he finished 636 points
ahead of Freddy Fryar on the strength of 18 wins in 82 starts.
Allison then took 14 checkered flags in 66 starts to distance
himself from fellow “Alabama Gang” member Red Farmer by 540 points
for his second national title in a row in 1965.
Prior to his NASCAR Modified Division titles, Allison also
collected back-to-back championships in the NASCAR Modified Special
Division in 1962 and 1963.
With Alabama as his home base through most of his racing career,
Allison did visit a few tracks in New England , and to this day
carries fond memories of those experiences.
"Allison said. “Later in my career after I had some success in the
[NASCAR Sprint] Cup Series, I got to do some special events and got
back into New England a few times, which I really enjoyed an awful
lot. The competitors there were really good competitors and racers
that you could really learn from if you paid attention.”
Allison went on to register 84 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories
which ranks third in the division’s history. He was a three-time
Daytona 500 winner, six-time Most Popular Driver and the 1983 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series champion.
Although Allison was able to achieve stardom in the NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series, he hasn’t forgotten how the NASCAR Modified Division
helped to develop his racing skills.
“I felt like it was really good for me because there were so many
different tracks where you had to catch on to different
peculiarities of that particular track and the techniques that it
took to adapt from track-to-track, which is what the Cup Series was
all about anyway,” Allison said. “The early Modified days were good
competition with a good variety of race tracks and track conditions
to learn to deal with.”
Since closing out his racing career Allison has been inducted into
the International Motorsports, North Carolina Auto Racing, National
Motorsports Press Association and Eastern Motorsports Press
Association Halls of Fame as well as the Talladega-Texaco Walk of
Fame.
In addition to Allison, NASCAR will also recognize the
accomplishments of 1949 champion Fonty Flock.
Flock was the second NASCAR Modified Division champion following
Red Byron’s title in the inaugural season of NASCAR racing in 1948.
One of NASCAR’s early stars, Flock led the series in wins during the
first season with 15, but lost the title to Byron by just 2.75
points. He secured the NASCAR Modified title the following year by
outdistancing his brother, Tim.
In the first three years of NASCAR Modified racing, Flock compiled
34 victories in just more than 100 starts. In the same season he
captured the Modified title, 1949, he also finished fifth in the
NASCAR Strictly Stock division standings. Flock went on to register
19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories before he retired in 1957. He
passed away in 1972 at the age of 52.
The CARQUEST Fall Final will be the 14th of 16 races on the 2008
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule with qualifying on Saturday and
the race on Sunday. For ticket information please visit Stafford ’s
official Web site (staffordmotorspeedway.com).
THE END