NASCAR Legend Allison To Be Honored At Stafford
Alabama Gang” Member Was Two-Time Modified National Champion
Daytona Beach, FL — 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.
During those years I ventured off for some special events and got to New England a few times,” 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).
Sources:Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR