Bobby Allison

1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion

Born: December 3, 1937
Hometown: Hueytown, AL
The File: The leader of the Alabama Gang, which included brother Donnie and Neil Bonnett and Red Farmer. Tied with Darrell Waltrip for third on all-time list of NASCAR Winston Cup winners with 84 wins. Fifty of his wins came on superspeedways. Won the NASCAR Winston Cup title in 1983 and was the series runner-up five times. Won 3 Daytona 500s, leading son Davey to the finish in 1988. Ranks fourth with 57 NASCAR Winston Cup poles. Only Richard Petty led more races than Allison. Voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver by fans six times. Versatile driver who enjoyed racing in other NASCAR divisions and on short tracks on off-weeks from the NASCAR Winston Cup tour. Won 2 NASCAR Modified championships in 1964 and 1965.

Some drivers are competitive.

Others are combative.

Bobby Allison was combative - anywhere, all the time.

Few NASCAR Winston Cup drivers threw so much of their heart and soul into racing as Bobby Allison did. And his desire to race - and win - extended far beyond the boundaries of the elite NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

An off-weekend would find Bobby at a remote half-mile - just for the fun of it - or helping a promoter who had befriended Bobby along the way.

Allison is known as one of NASCAR's greatest ambassadors, although that description could surprise those who dueled with him on the track for a position.

"I like to shake hands and smile with people off the track," Allison said during a visit to a small Southern California oval in the early 1980s.

"But don't let that fool you."

Those who raced him weren't fooled.

Allison played push-and-shove with everyone from Curtis Turner to Richard Petty to Darrell Waltrip. Often, Allison was running right there with the best of them despite spending much of his career in second-echelon equipment.

"I believe if I'm even going into the last lap, I'll win," Allison once said. "I will find a way or I'll crash."