Davey Allison

1961-1993

American race car driver

Davey Allison was a champion stock-car driver, with major race wins; he captured the Daytona 500, stock-car racing's most important event, in 1992. His winnings on the Winston Cup circuit, the major league of the sport, totaled $6.7 million. Allison came from a family of race car drivers that included his father, Bobby, his uncle, Donnie, and his younger brother, Clifford. In 1993, the helicopter he was piloting to the Talladega Superspeedway to see a friend practice spun out of control and went down in a parking lot where he was attempting to land. He died at age 32 the next day of head injuries.

Allison's first job in the business was working for his father's company, Bobby Allison Racing, ate age 12. He swept garage floors and sorted parts for 50 cents an hour. In 1979, the year he graduated from high school, he completely rebuilt a 1967 Chevy Nova. Also that year, he started his career as a racer.

Allison entered his first NASCAR Winston Cup race in 1985, at Talladega Superspeedway. Allison won three Winston 500 titles—in 1987, 1989, and in 1992. Before competing in the Winston Cup races, Allison won eight Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) races, in a three-year span.