Donnie Allison
Alabama Gang driver with ten NASCAR Cup wins.
Donnie Allison is an American former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit who earned ten wins from 1966 to 1988. He is a member of the "Alabama Gang" and the brother of 1983 champion Bobby Allison. Allison was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 19, 2024.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 7 September 1939
- Birthplace
- Miami, Florida, U.S.
- Achievements
- 1970 World 600 Winner
- 1971 Winston 500 Winner
- 1970 Firecracker 400 Winner
- 1975 Snowball Derby winner
- Total cup races
- 242
- Years in cup
- 20
- First cup race
- 1966 National 500 (Charlotte)
- Last cup race
- 1988 Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan)
- First cup win
- 1968 Carolina 500 (Rockingham)
Facts from the source article.
NASCAR career
Donnie Allison, like his brother Bobby, started out driving modified stock cars before moving up to the Grand National Series. He racked up ten wins in NASCAR’s top Cup division, with his first victory coming at the 1968 Carolina 500 at Rockingham Speedway and his last at the 1978 Dixie 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 1967, he was named NASCAR Grand National Rookie of the Year. A serious crash at the 1981 Coca-Cola 600 effectively ended his full-time career; after that, he only entered fourteen more Winston Cup races between 1982 and 1988, and failed to qualify for four of them. Allison is best known for a wild final-lap wreck and a fistfight with Cale Yarborough in the 1979 Daytona 500. With Allison leading on the last lap and Yarborough drafting close behind, Allison tried to block Yarborough from moving to the inside. Yarborough bumped Allison from behind, sending him sideways, then hit his side and knocked him into the grass. Allison came back and hit Yarborough side-to-side, and as both drivers fought for control, their cars banged together several times before locking up and slamming into the outside wall in turn three. After the cars stopped in the infield grass, Allison and Yarborough started arguing. Bobby Allison, who was laps down after an earlier collision with his brother, pulled over to check on Donnie, but Yarborough accused Bobby of causing the crash and began hitting him while Bobby was still in his car, sparking a brawl. Because the 1979 Daytona 500 was the first live flag-to-flag nationally televised NASCAR race, the dramatic finish and fight became a huge ratings hit for CBS. Richard Petty, more than half a lap behind when the crash happened, went on to win. The fight made front-page news across the country, and the publicity played a major role in NASCAR’s growth.
USAC career
Donnie Allison made his USAC Championship Car Series debut in 1970. He drove the No. 83 Eagle 67-Offenhauser for Ansted-Thompson Racing in that year's Indianapolis 500, placing fourth and taking home the Rookie of the Year award. Despite a twentieth-place points finish, his NASCAR license disqualified him from earning points. The following year, he piloted the No. 84 Purolator Filters Coyote-Ford V8 to a sixth-place finish at the Indianapolis 500. He also entered the Rex Mays 150, the Schaefer 500, and the California 500, but retired from both of the latter races. Once again, he was ineligible for points.
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