It was a long road to victory lane!
NASCAR legend Bobby Allison moved into fourth position on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series list on Wednesday even though he hasn’t raced since 1988.
After 53 years of debate, NASCAR has named Allison the winner of the 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The race was one of six held that year that featured both Grand National cars and the smaller, less powerful Grand American cars. Allison was in a Ford Mustang from the latter class and took advantage of its nimble handling to lead 138 of the 200 laps run around the quarter-mile track, including the last one.
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However, the win was protested by several drivers including Richard Petty, who finished second in a Grand National car. NASCAR decided not to count it, but also didn’t give the win to Petty, which left the event without an official winner.
Allison went on to win a total of 84 races during a career that included the 1983 championship, which left him tied with Darrell Waltrip in fourth on the all-time list.
With the NASCAR Clash set to be held at Bowman Gray Stadium in 2025, the series took another look at the controversy and decided to reinstate the win and give Allison sole possession of fourth on the all-time list behind Jeff Gordon (93), David Pearson (105) and, of course, Petty (200).
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“For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said in a news release.
“As we began preparations for the upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the topic of that August 6, 1971 race returned to the forefront. We felt it was the right thing to officially recognize Bobby’s win and honor him as an 85-time NASCAR Cup Series winner. We are grateful for Bobby’s lifetime contributions to NASCAR.”
NASCAR’s record books have been updated to reflect the change and France and Senior Advisor to NASCAR Mike Helton presented Allison with a certificate commemorating the win.
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