Allison Watches Daytona Action on TV

Bobby Allison, the 1988 winner of the Daytona 500, wasn’t here Sunday.

He was home at Hueytown, Ala., watching on television, but he relayed his thoughts on the race to public relations spokesman Eddie Gossage.

“I was very happy for Darrell (Waltrip),” Allison said. “He had put in a tremendous effort for a long time and the Daytona 500 was the one accomplishment he had missed.

“At the same time, I was really sorry to see (my son) Davey run into trouble, but it was a pretty neat deal to see him roll the car over and drive it back to the pits for some repairs. As far as I know, he is the first driver to ever flip a car at Daytona and still finish a race.

“For me, it was a tough deal not to be there racing, but I least I know it is there, sort of a carrot dangling in front of me. But I’ll be trying to get the carrot. That’s what’s giving me the desire to work hard to improve from my injuries.”

Allison, who suffered head and leg injuries in an accident last June at Pocono, Pa., watched the race from his recliner.