Davey Allison Wins Race His Dad Survives : Bobby’s Crash Is Cause of 2 1/2-Hour Delay; 4 Hurt

Rookie Davey Allison watched his father survive a frightening airplane-like crash that stopped the race for over 2 1/2 hours Sunday, then came back to completely dominate what was left of the Winston 500.

Allison, 26, was able to power his Ford Thunderbird to the front of the fastest stock car racing field in history any time he desired. Only a series of nine yellow caution flags made the margin of victory close for what was his first Winston Cup win in 14 starts.

Davey, whose father, Bobby, won this same race a year ago at age 48, won by less than a second over Terry Labonte, who was closely followed by Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Hillin.

Young Allison led 101 of 178 laps and the race was over for all intents and purposes when pole-sitter Bill Elliott, his only serious challenger, dropped out on the 150th lap with a broken valve spring.

Earnhardt’s fourth place finish snapped a string of four straight wins by the defending series champion.

Alabama International Motor Speedway is the world’s fastest race track, but Sunday it took six hours to complete 473 1/2 of the scheduled 500 miles before darkness settled over the wooded Talladega Valley and the race was halted.

A crowd estimated by Alabama police as 135,000--the largest for a sporting event in the state’s history--witnessed the long and exciting NASCAR race.

Bobby Allison’s harrowing crash into the fence near the start-finish line on lap 21 spewed parts of his Buick into the stands, injured four spectators and tore out nine steel uprights and 150 feet of a 15-foot high fence which had to be replaced before the race could resume.

Davey was just ahead of his father when the right rear tire blew out on Bobby’s car. When the car lifted, the change in aerodynamics picked up the 3,500-pound Buick and sent it skyward, rear end first, high into a chain-link fence that protects the spectators from the cars.

“My heart fainted when I saw Dad in my mirrors,” Davey said later. “When I saw him, he was already up in the air, sideways, headed for the grandstand. I was afraid he might go into it.

“It was definitely the worst crash I’ve ever seen and it was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. When I got back around and saw him crawling out of the car, it lifted my heart back to to where it belonged.”

One spectator, James Townes of Union City, Tenn., suffered possible eye damage from a piece of flying fence, and was taken to the Eye Foundation Hospital in Birmingham. Three others were injured, but were treated and released.

Bobby Allison’s car, after ripping the fence at impact, bounced back into the center of the track where it was narrowly missed by the following pack. As the car ricocheted off the screen, parts of its underside caught the fencing and peeled it back as cleanly as if it were the top of a can of peanuts.

“Thank the good Lord I wasn’t hurt and that no one else was either,” Bobby said. “I think I ran over something. I felt something bouncing around under the car going through the tri-oval. Then I got up in the air and around backwards, and when I did there was nothing I could do at all.”

Seven other cars were damaged while taking evasive action to avoid Allison’s wreck, although only Cale Yarborough and Ron Bouchard were unable to continue.

“We came down through there and there was stuff everywhere,” Bouchard said. “I cut a tire, then hit Cale (Yarborough). Then someone cut in front of Cale and he hit the brakes and I couldn’t get stopped and I hit him again. That’s what put both of us out.”

Labonte was leading at the time and had just lapped the 2.66-mile track at 206.8 m.p.h. before Allison, who was fifth, went into the fence.

Elliott was second, Davey Allison third and Buddy Baker fourth at that point.

Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip, who were drafting on Bobby Allison, actually ran under the flying car while it was against the fence.

“I was so close behind Bobby that I got into the debris,” Waltrip said during the long delay. “It broke my windshield and my right front fender is torn up. I’m not sure what happened. I might have hit Bobby coming off the fence or when he was in it, I don’t know.”

The track was closed for 2 hours 38 minutes while new fencing was delivered by police escort and installed. The race cars sat, single-file, along the front straightaway.

Once racing resumed, it was quickly apparent that the accident had no effect on the drivers. On the first lap at speed, Labonte was clocked at 207.7 m.p.h.

Although Davey Allison had been running second or third during the 21 laps before his dad’s crash, he didn’t assert himself until the 60th lap when he bolted past Elliott into the lead for the first time.

“The pace at the start showed me that nobody was sandbagging, or holding anything back for the finish,” Davey said. “It was the fastest pace I was ever in, so when I went by Elliott on the backstretch and pulled away, I knew my car had something the other’s didn’t.”

From then on, the only thing that slowed the winning Ford was more yellow caution flags.

Once past Elliott, Davey stretched out to a five second lead before Harry Gant spun and was collected by Ricky Rudd. Neither driver was hurt, but their cars were badly bent up.

This brought Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Elliott and Labonte back on Davey’s rear bumper, but once the green flag came out, it was the same story.

Allison’s Ford powered away, building up another five second lead over Elliott with the others lagging. Only Elliott seemed capable of any threat at all and his challenge ended on lap 142 when he slowed abruptly. He drove eight more laps in hopes of collecting Winston Cup points, but after he was lapped by three or four cars, he pulled into the garage.

The last yellow flag came out on lap 163 when Ken Ragan spun and crashed in the third turn, fracturing his upper left leg.

All of the leaders pitted for their last splash of fuel and new right-side tires when NASCAR officials, mindful of the growing darkness, announced that the race would end 10 laps after Ragan’s accident was cleaned up and the green flag came out.

Earnhardt’s crew got him back out on the track first, followed by Allison, Wallace, Labonte and Kyle Petty.

The thought on most minds, including Davey Allison’s, was what the wily Earnhardt might do to protect his lead.

“I had plotted my strategy for the situation,” Davey said. “I wanted to get out front as quick as I could, and get as far ahead as I could. That way, if something happened, it would be behind me, and I didn’t want to give Earnhardt any ideas.”

When the cars received the green light on lap 169, Earnhardt led through the first turn but before he reached the second bend in the long track, Davey Allison was back in front.

To make sure he held his edge, Davey lapped Talladega at 207.5 m.p.h. as the others battled for second place.

“On the last lap, I could see the fans in the infield and the stands and even though I couldn’t hear them, I could see them standing and waving. Let me tell you, it sent chills up and down my spine that they were cheering for me.

“To get my first Winston Cup win here at Talladega, in front of all my friends from home, is the biggest thrill of my life.”

The Allison family lives a few miles down Highway 20 in Hueytown and the Allisons consider this their home track.

This was actually Allison’s fifth win here, having won four ARCA races before joining the Winston Cup circuit late in 1985.

The nine caution flags for 39 laps slowed the winning speed down to 154.214 m.p.h., but when the racing was on there wasn’t a lap below 200.

Allison’s winnings of $71,250 almost matched his career earnings in 13 previous starts of $79,750.

“I can’t remember a day in my life I didn’t know what I wanted, but I didn’t dream I’d win in my first 14 races,” Davey said.

“I owe a lot to Dad. He gave me my start and everything a kid needed to succeed. Of course, I had to work hard and do things myself, but without him I’d probably never have had the opportunity.

“Yesterday, in the last practice session, Dad and I ran together and ran really hard. When we finished, we felt we had the two fastest cars on the track.

“I still thought so when he was running so well early in the race, and so was I, and then came that terrible accident.

“That was a long, long lap getting back around before I saw him getting out. I’m not sure that I controlled my emotions all the way around. I just asked the Lord to let him stay here on earth at least a few years longer.”

Bobby Allison, winner of 82 NASCAR races in a career that began in 1955, was the first to greet his son in Victory Circle.

“I was never so proud in my life,” Bobby said. “He’s worked real hard, and I want to thank the guys on his crew, Robert Yates and the all the guys, for giving him such a great car. They’ve just done a terrific job and they deserve all that’s come to them.”