A Moment For Davey Allison

David Carl “Davey” Allison- a bright star in one of NASCAR’s finest hours- passed away July 13, 1993. His death following a helicopter crash in the Talladega Superspeedway  infield cut short one of the most brilliant careers ever seen in the world of racing.

Given his relatively brief career and the luminaries surrounding him, it might be too easy to lose his name alongside some of the other immortals with whom he traded paint. To forget him would be a shame, as it was obvious to those who witnessed him that Davey Allison was born to race.

It was like an all-star race every week in the late 1980s. Dale Earnhardt was forging his legacy as “The Intimidator” and was in the midst of winning seven championships. The popular and proficient Bill Elliott was at his peak- winning races and setting speed records. Darrell Waltrip was making noise and making history. Rusty Wallace was a force. Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough were still turning laps. Alan Kulwicki, Tim Richmond, Terry Labonte and Dave Marcis were other prominent names out on the track.

No mention of this era is complete without a call out to the “Alabama Gang.” Bobby and Donnie Allison- with 94 wins between them- had to be accounted for every week. Neil Bonnett and Red Farmer were members too. Ferocious and fast, the Allison brothers will go down in history as participants in a famous fight in the wake of the 1979 Daytona 500 that caught the national eye as NASCAR began grow past a regional following.

Davey Allison was born February 25, 1961 in Hollywood, Florida on the eve of father Bobby’s first Daytona 500. Football was his passion as a kid before he caught the racing bug at 12. Davey went to work in his father’s shop and there was the promise of a career of his own, provided the young man finished high school. Thanks to a head start from summer studies, Allison graduated ahead of his classmates by four months.

Davey built a car with his buddies and they jokingly called themselves “The Peach Fuzz Gang.” In 1979, with shell given to him by Uncle Donnie and with parts and equipment from his dad’s shop- Davey Allison debuted at Birmingham Speedway, finishing 20th. In his sixth start at Birmingham, he got his first win. His daddy was there to witness the win and Bobby won the next day at Talladega.

By 1983, while the elder Allison was on the road to a Winston Cup championship, the younger Allison made the move to ARCA competition. The year was marked by two wins at Talladega.

In 1984, Allison won Rookie Of The Year honors in ARCA competition. He would finish second in the season’s standings.

The following season, Davey Allison made his Cup debut at Talladega Superspeedway. His break came thanks to car owner Hoss Ellington. A sure sign of his natural ability to race was evident as Davey qualified 22nd and got a 10th place finish on one of NASCAR’s most notorious tracks. The following season, he got another chance at Cup racing- subbing in for an injured Niel Bonnett in the #12 car owned by Junior Johnson.

Allison’s racing career hit high gear in 1987. Cale Yarborough was leaving owner Harry Rainier and the #28 ride to form his own team, taking the Hardee’s sponsorship with him. A vision that endures in one’s mind to this day was formed when Rainier engineered  the pairing of Davey Allison with Texaco’s Havoline Oil in that #28 ride. He became the first rookie to ever start on the front row at the Daytona 500- his shot at a good finish that day was waylayed by a tire falling off his car.

May 3, 1987 will be a day the Allison family never forgets. Bill Elliott qualified for the Winston 500 running that day at a record speed of 212 miles per hour. Bobby qualified second, Davey third. On the 22nd lap of the race, the wreck that ushered in the restrictor plate occurred (click the hyperlink here for video).  The older Allison got a flat tire and embarked upon a wicked, spinning crash up into the catch fence that left fans injured. Miraculously, Bobby escaped injury, but he told brother Donnie “You won’t believe the ride I just took.” Davey was out in front of the crash- the events unfolding in his rear view mirror.

Demonstrating the different breed race car drivers are, Davey Allison got his first Winston Cup win. He followed the feat with a win at Dover 28 days later. The 26-year-old earned the first 5 of his 14 career poles that season. With a 21st place finish in the season points, Davey Allison was named Rookie Of The Year.

1988 started with a bang as Allison earned another spot on the front row for the Daytona 500. On the day the restrictor plate debuted, father and son battled for the win. The video here is nearly five minutes in length, but I still recommend checking it out for Daytona racing, 1980s-style (click here). They say old age and treachery overcomes youth and enthusiasm, but the old man looked pretty racy himself that day as father held off son.

The remainder of that early season did not go as well. Rainier was looking to sell the team. Allison experienced engine failures right and left- and to make matters worse- his father sustained serious injuries in a crash at Pocono. Robert Yates replaced Joey Knuckles atop the pit box and Allison salvaged the season with wins at Michigan and Richmond. Allison also rang up 3 more poles and finished 8th in the points as Bill Elliott edged Rusty Wallace in a near side-by-side battle.

The roller coaster ride continued late in 1988. Yates bought the team from Rainier and Allison’s first marriage fell apart.

Things didn’t look good at the outset of the 1989 season. Contact with Geoff Bodine derailed Allison’s quest for a Daytona win- the collision sent him to the sand bar with Lake Lloyd on the other side. Allison finished the race hoodless and had words with Bodine after the race. Allison pulled it together and by the spring Talladega race, he captured a pole with a victory to boot after scoring 3 top 5s after Daytona. Speaking of Daytona, Allison scored another superspeedway win in the Pepsi 400. That season, Davey married a second time- to Liz Mayson- and as a new decade dawned- the new family welcome a daughter, Krista Marie, into the world.

1990 got off to an inauspicious start for Allison. He would find himself languishing in 17th when he scored a thrilling win over Mark Martin at Bristol. Allison was doomed to a lousy pit location in the backstretch, and Robert Yates made the call to keep his driver out. It proved a winning call. After further struggles, Yates summoned the services of the legendary “Suitcase” Jake Elder to crew chief “Team 28.” Allison won at what was then known as Charlotte Motor Speedway in the fall, and wound up 13th for the season.

Getting collected in a late incident involving Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty, Davey Allison’s efforts to win the Daytona 500 were foiled again at the beginning of the ‘91 season. A string of disappointing finishes left Allison bickering with Elder- “Suitcase” was packing again.  Former Ricky Rudd crew chief Larry Mc Reynolds was hired to crew chief and the pairing was a success. Allison picked off wins at the All-Star race, the Coca- Cola 600, the road course at Sonoma, Michigan, Rockingham and Phoenix to win a Winston Cup Series high 5 races in 1991. Earnhardt and Rudd finished 1-2 ahead of Allison.

Things couldn’t be better set up for a legitimate championship run in 1992. After starting 6th, Allison raced to victory lane at the Daytona 500. Allison avoided the mayhem that collected his fiercest competition- Sterling Marlin, Ernie Irvan and Bill Elliott. Allison finished first with Morgan Shepherd behind him.

Elliott went on a four race winning streak following Daytona and Allison ended up bruising his shoulder at Bristol, in a race won by Alan Kulwicki. The following week, Davey returned to his winning ways at North Wilkesboro.

Allison must have had the date circled- May 3rd. That was the date of his first win at Talladega- and Davey celebrated by winning there again.

The All-Star race ran under the lights for the first time. The Nashville Network dubbed the occasion “One Hot Night.”  Allison won- but it was a painful one. Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty crashed in the final 10-lap segment. Davey slipped past for the lead and a hard-charging Petty made contact with the “28″ car as he crossed the finish line. The driver’s side made contact with the outside wall, kicking up sparks. Allison was unconscious, suffering a concussion and a bruised lung. He claimed he had an out of the body experience- looking upward to a bright light as emergency crews worked to free him from the car. He said the light faded to darkness until he awoke. Mc Reynolds was present when Allison came to at the hospital. The crew chief said his driver’s first words on regaining conciousness were “Did we win?” The affable Alabaman replied “Yes Davey we won.”

Allison kept soldiering on in spite of the injuries. In June, he dominated at Michigan for his fourth win of the season. Davey held a 46 point lead over Bill Elliott as the tour reached the midway point of the season.

Things looked promising at Pocono, when Allison was involved in a wreck with Darrell Waltrip. Contact sent Allison into the grass off the tunnel turn. The car went airborne and began flipping violently. The car landed on an infield guardrail. This time he sustained a serious concussion, a broken arm, a broken wrist and a broken collarbone at the same place that ended his dad’s career.

In spite of the bad shape he was win, Davey Allison started the following week at Talladega. Bobby Hillin Jr. needed to relieve Allison after a few laps and piloted the car to a third-place finish.

A rejuvinated Allison was getting ready to take on Michigan, when his brother Clifford was killed practicing for a Busch Series race between turns three and four. A grieving Davey finished 5th.

While the neck and neck battle between Bill Elliott and Allison continued, the steady, cerebral Alan Kulwicki became a factor in the championship picture. Harry Gant and Mark Martin were also in striking distance.

Allison seized the lead by seizing the win at Phoenix. He sat 30 points in front of Kulwicki, while Awesome Bill was just another 10 behind the leader.

The season finale was a watershed day in NASCAR history. That November 15th day of 1992 would mark the final start for Richard Petty. A young kid from Indiana by way of California Jeff Gordon made his debut. Six drivers entered that race in a position to fight for a championship- Allison, Kulwicki, Elliott, Gant, Kyle Petty and Martin.

Allison just needed a 5th place finish or better. Contact on the opening lap with Rick Mast caused minor damage to Allison’s Ford. As Elliott and Kulwicki battled up front, Allison rallied to finally break into the top five.

Ernie Irvan lost control of his car and spun out. Allison couldn’t avoid him and the collision finished off his hopes for a championship. Elliott won the race, Kulwicki won the Cup title.

The opening races of the 1993 season found Davey Allison running out front in the IROC series. He took second at Daytona and won at Darlington, while he was running 6th in the Winston Cup standings. He also won his f19th and final race at Richmond on March 7th.

While the world of NASCAR was still reeling from the death of Alan Kulwicki in an April airplane crash, Davey Allison was looking to make a run at points leader Dale Earnhardt. At Loudon, New Hampshire on July 11th, the 32-year-old finished 3rd in his final start as Rusty Wallace christened the new Cup venue.

The next day, Allison flew in his new helicopter along with Red Farmer to watch Neil and David Bonnett test a Busch Series car at their “home track”- Talladega. As Allison attempted to land on the track infield, his chopper nosed up and crashed suddenly.

Farmer survived and Davey Allison died the next day from severe head injuries.

Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace paid tribute to Allison and Kulwicki with a dual “Polish Victory Lap” following the season finale at Atlanta. Terry Labonte took over Allison’s IROC ride and earned a championship on behalf of Allison.

One can’t help but wonder what the record books would look like today if the likes of Kulwicki, Tim Richmond and Davey Allison hadn’t left so soon. At 32, it was safe to say Allison would have several more good seasons ahead of him. Allison is memorialized in the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame in the city of Talladega. His father, his uncle, good friend Neil Bonnett (who died the following year practicing at Daytona), Red Farmer and Dale Earnhardt are among the others honored there.

So take a moment to pause and remember with respect David Carl Allison- one of NASCAR’s most electrifying and hard as nails competitors.

He was elected into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998. Davey Allison was also honored as one of “NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.”

Rest In Peace, Davey Allison.

SOURCES: The Sporting News NASCAR Record & Fact Book- 2007 edition, “Davey Allison Tibute” at daveyallison.net, wikipedia, Joann Hlavac’s tribute at laidbackracing.com.

PHOTO CREDITS- Upper left and Davey poster by ibea31dad, upper right by AODomiga, Allison side-by-side with Michael Waltrip at Phoenix, 1992 by thewolf05, Allison’s car in Talladega Museum by Wallyum, Allison sometime in 1989 by shee_rah77. To see more, visit flcikr.com or click on the hyperlinks.