NASCAR Hall of Famer to meet with fans at Rutland County track on September 14
WEST HAVEN, VT – NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Allison will make a long-awaited return to Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, September 14, as he is honored as the Grand Marshal for the Mekkelsen RV Vermont 200 Championship Weekend. The celebrated leader of the “Alabama Gang” will be part of the festivities some 42 years after making his first appearance at the Rutland County track.
The 1983 champion and an 85-race winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Allison was in the middle of his legendary career when he made a stop at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on July 16, 1972. Having already won the Trenton 300 in New Jersey earlier in the day, Allison was scheduled to compete in a Late Model race at Devil’s Bowl that evening. The skies opened just as he arrived at the track, however, and the race was cancelled due to rain.
Though he retired from racing in 1988, Allison is still active behind the wheel – as a designated driver. The Vermont Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s “Designated Drivers are Legendary” campaign will visit Devil’s Bowl for the Vermont 200 Weekend. Glen Fitzgerald, a race fan from Clarendon, VT, took a pledge at the track earlier this season to always drive sober or use a sober designated driver, and was chosen to have Allison as his “designated driver” for the day on Sunday, September 14. Fitzgerald and Allison will arrive at Devil’s Bowl by limousine for the start of the races on Sunday. Allison will also serve as the Grand Marshal for the event and will greet fans during an autograph session.
