Allison Is Winner at Talladega

Bobby Allison became the latest in a growing list of aging stars to find the winner’s circle again when he won the Winston 500 NASCAR stock car race Sunday at Talladega, Ala.

The 48-year-old Allison, who ended a string of 55 straight races without a victory, became the oldest driver ever to win a race in NASCAR’s top division. He surpassed Richard Petty, who was 47 when he last won at Charlotte, N.C., in October 1984.

Allison’s win came on the heels of victories by 54-year-old Bill Shoemaker in the Kentucky Derby and 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus in the Masters golf tournament.

“I may be over the hill, like some people have been saying, but I enjoy what I’m doing,” Allison said. “This was really a thrill.”

Allison, driving a Buick LeSabre, held off a last-turn challenge by Dale Earnhardt to win for the first time since the World 600 at Charlotte in May 1984. Earnhardt, driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, moved into the Winston Cup point lead.

Buddy Baker was third in an Oldsmobile Delta 88.

Allison earned $77,905 from the total purse of about $614,000. It was his 82nd career victory, ranking him fourth on the all-time list.