In Memory of Davey Allison

He had flown about 60 miles with Red Farmer
accompanying him to watch Neil Bonnett's son 
David practice. His helicopter was only a few 
feet away from a safe landing when it shot 25 
feet up into the air. It spun counterclockwise, 
rolled and crashed with the tail rotor striking 
a fence on the way down. The news on his condition 
was not very promising. He died the next day. Race
fans all over mourned his death, and drove with
headlights on to pay their respect. He will be 
missed.

Despite wrecking his primary car in practice, the 
28 crew worked round the clock on a back up 
car named "Buster." Their hard work paid off. 
Davey, under crew chief Larry McReynolds guidance,
went on to win the Feb.16th 1992 Daytona 500 in 
his 6th start in the classic event. The team 
was jubilant and earned a season high winners purse 
of $244,050 for that victory.  Davey and his parents,
Bobby and Judy, were jubilant in Victory Circle! 
Davey and Bobby thus became the second father-son 
duo (Lee & Richard Petty did it first) to win 
the Daytona 500.
 
Davey then finished 2nd at Rockingham and fourth 
in the next three races. He led 50 laps on April 
5th at Bristol before an oil fitting line broke 
and hard into the wall he went. He separated
cartilage, fractured his ribs, and tore ligaments 
and muscles in his right shoulder and finished 
the race 28th. During that time frame, Pop 
Allison (Davey's grandfather, who he was really 
close to) died after a lengthy illness...Jimmy 
Hensley qualified his car 7th at North Wilkesboro 
and Davey snatched the lead with 87 laps to go. 
He held off Rusty Wallace and won that race on 
April 12th by a mere .25 second victory. His 
car carried a decal "In loving memory of Pop A" and 
he dedicated the win to "Pop." One tough competitor!

 
Davey then led 110 of 188 laps to win again at
Talladega on May 3rd. In mid-May Davey sat on the 
Pole for the second consecutive year in the 
Winston All Star Event and again won the event on 
May 16th with a spectacular finish!On June 21st 
at Michigan, he started from the pole, led 160 
of 200 laps and won the event. Despite spending 
2 nights a Charlotte hospital for a virus, on July 
19th he was on the pole for the Pocono race and 
led 115 laps when contact on lap 149 with Darrell
Waltrip on a restart caused a spectacular 11 
flip somersault crash.

 

One of Davey's first cars


Polish victory lap in memory of Davey Allison and Alan Kulwiki


Two Nascar Greats