Quality Weenie

Today In Automotive History

1987 Allisons face mixed day at Talladega

The late Davey Allison recorded his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory at the Winston 500 in Talladega, Alabama, driving his #28 Ford Thunderbird. Davey, the son of racing legend Bobby Allison, was born into racing as a member of the Alabama Gang. His father Bobby was Alabama's most successful stock-car racer ever. Both men have come to be remembered for their triumphs and their tragedies at the Alabama Superspeedway in Talladega. On this day in 1987, while Davey won his first race, his father Bobby suffered a terrible crash in which his rear tire was pierced by a chunk of metal, causing his car to flip into the grandstand at over 200mph. After the crash, NASCAR mandated that all cars would carry carburetor plates to restrict the intake of their engines. Since then, all NASCAR races have been won at average speeds of around 170mph to 190mph. Carburetor plates have become a source of great contention since their adoption. Some racers believe that the speed limitations imposed by the plates create greater bunching on the track and, consequently, accidents that involve greater numbers of cars. Bobby Allison didn't believe it: "[Carburetor plates] are the best thing NASCAR has ever done. The availability of the knowledge, the technology and the commitment means nobody is ever going to separate from anyone else by too much. Without carburetor plates, they'd still be bunched up and we'd be having theses wrecks at 240mph instead of 190." Talladega is a notoriously fast track, and Davey loved to race there. Says Ford Thunderbird team owner Robert Yates, "Racing at Talladega with Davey Allison was like racing in his front yard. He must have got on that track and walked it in his sleep, because he knew it better than any other driver I went to Talladega with." Accordingly, Yates this year released a 10-year anniversary Ford Thunderbird called the "Alabama car." Covered in Davey Allison's familiar black-and-white-with-red-and-gold-trim paint scheme, the Yates Alabama car commemorates 10 years of racing history between the Yates team; its sponsor, Texaco; and the Superspeedway at Talladega. The proceeds from souvenir sales generated by the new car will be donated to Davey Allison's children. The last chapter in the story of the Allisons at Talladega is a tragic one. After his father, Bobby, suffered brain injuries in a terrible crash that ended his career at the Pocono Speedway, and after his brother Clifford was killed in a practice run, Davey died in a freak helicopter crash in 1993. Only a foot away from touching ground at the Speedway at Talladega, Davey's helicopter flipped and crashed. He'd come to watch a friend qualify for a race. Davey sustained serious head injuries and died after a half day in the hospital. At the peak of his career, one year after winning the Daytona 500, Davey Allison's life was cut short at the track that had made him a champion, in the state that called him its own.