NASCAR HOF (2011) Bobby Allison

Mendes performance Bobby Allison the Alabama K I got to give a tremendous amount of credit to flood for car did run perfectly all day here's some gives us hopping right down the hood struck at end up our fight running like a thief in the backstretch it's Jerry number 11 making a move Lee petty in number 42 still running wide open Lee petty takes command of the race welcome to the NASCAR Hall of Fame biography of Bobby Allison in this hour we'll honor a racer who epitomized tough driving and a man strong enough for tough times Bobby himself said I've been at the bottom of the valley but I've also seen the top of the mountain we now present a scrapbook of that heroic journey ah snapshots are the headlines of our memories capturing our attention sparking an interest in the stories that lie beneath Bobby Allison was born in 1937 and grew up to become the headline name of NASCAR's legendary Alabama gang but Bobby's story reaches beyond the headlines begin with the fact that Alison was not born and raised in Alabama his story begins in Miami you know for us Miami was really neat we always had the cool ocean breeze so it was very pleasant year round they're forced from my standpoint we just had a lot of fun and we never thought about what we were doing as we was growing up but we really learned you know what it meant to live bobby was kind of to himself or he didn't work with my father as much as Eddie and I did he'd want us to his own thing when he became interested in race and that's all it was to it my grandfather came to live with us and he would take one of us kids to an event like her one night he said come on Bobby we're going to the car racing and I thought this was the neatest thing I had ever seen and then this I got a little bit older they started an amateur division but then my dad said you can't live here and race and so I got this really bring the idea that all I had to do was change my name racin he didn't want his name in the paper me wonder I mean he was gonna race regardless of who who said he could or couldn't my mother a follower didn't like it or what Bobby was gonna race anyway and that's the way he's been all his life the patriarch of one of Racing's most famous families was not raised in a racing family so Allison changed his name to Bob Sunderman scroll his car number and shoe polish and went to the track opening night for this new division they were probably about 30 cars there and I finished seven which I thought that was pretty darn good the good news bobby's finish was newsworthy the bad news bobby's finish was worthy of the news when Allison's father opened the paper Bob thundermans career was over next morning my dad said learn his chair nieces come here boy walked over and he said if you're gonna race you use your own name and you do it with honor and I thought wow being here I thought I was really going to be in bad trouble whether he gave Bobby permission but Bobby took it that way that time on Bobby dukes are using his old name next week there were about 40 cars there and I finished seventh again in the third week there must have been 50 cars you know just cranberry were around that 400 racetrack and I won the race I mean it was like winning the Daytona 500 well I mean I was on top of the world I think it paid eight bucks that first win may have paid little but it made all things possible as Bobby's career grew so did his fame and he looked for new places to waste we heard there's good racetracks in Alabama and they got paid racetracks and we don't want to run dirt we want a pavement some block had all this money let's go in the summer of 1958 Bobby and his brother Donny set off for Alabama for Bobby Allison Alabama was very different from Miami but while even the tracks had changed Bobby's winning ways carried over state lines we went to a half mile track him on Demery Alabama unload the car had fast time one heat race met an Australian pursuit race where the fast time car has to start last anybody gets past has to pull out start lasting that and it took me like seven or eight laps to go all the way to the front Bobby wasn't racing only in Alabama he competed on tracks across the south but his ultimate destination was NASCAR in 1966 bobby built a loose shovel in his backyard and went Sprint Cup racing this was back when there was a clear division between the factory cars and the so called independence independence existed mainly that soda factory cars would have somebody to pass Cale Yarborough's made a boyhood dream come true battered mercury is carried a bruised battered victory in his own backyard also in victory lane is Bobby ality to receive the Bob call awarded the best driver performing without faculty help everybody know this Bobby because of that he didn't back down even though he was in his little homemade car they had grown up out of those tracks in Florida before they moved to Alabama and believe me you've scratched and fought for everything you could get I got one of those old mister engines from Ray Fox that thing if it didn't break a rocker arm which it broke laughs arms all the time Bobby Allison trails smoke out of his blown it was running fine economy from a small engine and good Hamlet from his lightweight chassis maybe next year if they didn't break a rock on my one race just as important as earning his first win Bobby and his gang earned a name for themselves Donnie and bobbies myself we've traveled together and kind of like a convoy and we go all the races together we help each other on our cars all the time I don't think we thought that we were better than anybody else but we could win and it became a way of life I went to every race that I could get no matter what day of the week it was or how far it was from where I was standing and we went to Asheville weaverville I'm telling him there for a 200 life rent deckings and said oh here comes that dang Alabama game here come the Alabama game here comes that damn Alabama gang again and I thought it just sounded me and so we became the Alabama game now you move the Alabama game Oh throughout his adult life bobby had raced with a single-minded focus but all that would change when matters of the mind gave way to matters of the heart he was doing real good when I met him you know in the short track racing me he just had sort of a knack that the other people didn't have I just really felt like he would have a definite career in racing Bobby and Juhi set up shop in Hueytown Alabama they would raise their four children and create a life built on family and centered on racing I felt like I can spend as much time as I really needed to with family at the same time I could spend whatever time I needed to on my racing career and really tried to apply myself for that that was our life you know we grew up knowing that he was gonna be going off and coming back in a few days or you know sometimes it was weeks as we got older we were allowed to travel with them getting to stay in a motel and swim in a swimming pool and all that was like a vacation for them too but it was kind of hard at times you know some days for very lean and some days were better and it was an up-and-down roller coaster type of life you know but you just learned to live that life racing is really consuming especially in the old days and I had to work on the car to get it ready but then the weekends when maybe some other families were going to a movie or going to a picnic we'd be busy with racing through four decades the family race and wife Judy remained by husband Bobby's side Judy Allison evening the she seemed to enjoy that with man I thought that was special duty his wife I know you're real proud here too I sure am very excited you had to be on pins and needles many times this gal right here they're my best buddy for about 25 26 years so we do believe that you can enjoy what you're doing and be successful too during the 1970s Bobby Allison's racing career was running on all cylinders as he won races and set a record that was comparable to one of the great benchmarks in all of sport Bobby Allison is on putting on the low rate My dear when it comes to running up front lobbie set a record that compares with Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak some drivers pace themselves in the early laps but Allyson is running flat out our number 12 Bobby Allison bleeding here comes Bobby Olsen going by Buddy Baker at he hands to me Bobby you have 39 consecutive Sprint Cup races now if you stop and think about all it can happen in a race to keep somebody from bleeding and bullet tired your crew mess up somebody wrecks you you wreck yourself anything can happen nobody has ever led 39 straight since then and I don't think anybody ever will but as successful as Bobby was at winning races he was just as unsuccessful when it came to winning friends mommy Alice had run-ins with driver after driver he didn't like to give in to anything drivers are standing on the bottom unbelievable display of driving skill hired by his archrival you know everybody that ever raced Bobby Allison the competing had a robbery with the toughest competitor was Donnie Allison but I had raced against him on the short tracks and I already knew how tough he was look at this battle for the lead between the two brothers is gonna be a hot night in Hueytown Alabama they'd ever finish one - Bobby the older brother had fun there's a third brother in the bibs any Alison Rosen mechanically today for Bobby will be happy with all we want to do is win the races and it gave great satisfaction both what they call from rednecks from Alabama coming or who were rednecks from Alabama which came from behind me but to beat them guys I mean our around he good all the time and then we go to a race and we race each other Donnie Allison the red car number 27 Bobby Allison the gold car number 22 could possibly be on the track Bobby and Donnie could fight like brothers off the track there's was a family bond impossible to break in the 1979 Daytona 500 that combination would shape the story of NASCAR spinning he just might somebody bumped somebody and I got stuck in the mud and so I lost a couple laps well kale and Donny got going and Donny had the dominant card Donnie Allison stays in when they got down to those last laps it was all about fighting for a little piece of pavement where we'll take it uncle Donnie was always known as the fighter in the family you know if anybody was gonna be tempted to get in a fight we all knew it was him so we knew once the wreck happened where I'll just play tell better watch out he also taught he's got to get him Bobby pulls up on on the paper and he said you all right now see I'm fine I'm sitting in the car with my helmet on with a winning it down but still with the seatbelts on well Cal starts yelling that the wreck is my fault well I wasn't anywhere near my brother Bobby's not a fighter but my brother Donny is he can't do that so he's going to try to take it out with Bobby all of a sudden tails hitting Bobby to the window so I ran over there and I grabbed kale by the arm I spun him around I said if you want to fight I'm the captain you be fighting with buddy and how Bobby got out of car that fast that day I haven't lobby I there's a fight safety officials trying to jump in there and separate those tempers have really flared after this amazing gets it up on the final left when they flashed back and showed the blue suit we were all just like oh no that's my dad Bobby's not a fighter but you get him in the right category he's gonna fight you and kill your bro fan it out bobby was there to give his brother ride home allegedly some ride I climbed out of the car and he went to beating on my fish with his note my story and I'm sticking to it bobby allison was the best stock car driver will live i 185 times in nine different brands of cars for 14 different Racing's drive pretty good but it couldn't keep a job you know Bobby's got a kind of strong headstrong Bank going on you move with his racing Bobby always gave a hundred percent on the racetrack and off the racetrack you weren't likely to get along too well with Bobby if you didn't give a hundred percent in 1972 he drove for junior cops when junior hired me he said you communicate with the crew chief which is going to be herb nabbed and herb that will give me your message and it frustrated junior would walk up and say heard tell Bobby that we're going to change the Big Ear and I'm staying right there Jim you can tell me and jr. would turn around and walk away like I had not said anything and it frustrated that's why I run my race team it was just a different animal from what he's used to that same season he drove in 31 races he won ten and he finished second twelve time he was either first or second 22 times in 31 races but then he and jr. didn't get along he has stayed with me some tournament championships and how many races we were too long but Barbie Alison's fans didn't seem to care who's racing for look at this when the Alabama 500 so long as he was winning races and making heavy by the early 80s Bobby was still chasing his first championship even as a new driver was making front page news Darrell Waltrip was young brash and outspoken a role once filled by Bobby he had become the hero and a mr. golden boy with Darrell now driving for jr. Johnson Bobby would lose the cup to Waltrip in the final race of 1981 one year later the story would remain the same he's so close and I get it I just missing this really was a big obstacle tonight I had finished second five times and here I was I was getting old in 1983 bobby was a sentimental favorite with single-minded purpose for Alison and Walter the roles were reversed Allisyn making that final charge a boy he's got it handled this weekend's win increases Alison's lead to 71 points in the race for the Winston Cup maintained a better cushion toward the end of the year you know what it wasn't really different tuck like it had been in 82 Bobby Allison has won his championship you know it was a really fantastic deal because we had any second a lot of time and at least it was racial career be full the 1983 Winston Cup driving champion the leader of the famous Alabama gang Bobby Allison general would you all please come to the stage I can't say and I can't put into words what what an honor this really is and the awards banquet happened to be on my birthday that that year but it was just such an incredible feeling of accomplishment and finally achieving that elusive goal was just great you know everybody has just contributed to this greatest day of my life and the greatest day of my career all I can do is keep echoing thank you thank you the cup type is considered the summit of NASCAR but for Bobby there were still other mountains yet to climb and the time had come for his sons to start their climb to follow in their father's footsteps in the Ellison family it's impossible not to grow up around racing but for each child that meant something different Devi went to work placing Clifford chose to play Clifford was out to have a good time you know whatever the baby from real early wanted to be with me and work on the car be with me going through the race baby was my buddy I've always wanted to be a racecar driver for as long as I can remember my dad's been involved in it ever since I was born it's just what I've enjoyed on my life he learned from Bobby slowly and Davey can do everything he could build the motors he could wire him up he could paint him he could set the chassis David was a full package just like Bobby would you know we insisted that he start in the lower divisions and get some experience and he he accepted you know so many fathers would love to have a son that would accept a little bit of what they had to say along the way dad was very demanding he wanted it done his way there was no other way but I really appreciate that now because I think I learned a lot of things that have helped me get to where I am Davey was a student of the sport working his way up the racing ranks he drove with the same hard-nosed determination as his father but Adam II that was all his own Davi was impossible to bully but just as impossible not to like you raced hard and one off a success in the developmental ranks led to a jump straight to NASCAR's highest level the most memorable sports event I have covered featured Bobby and David who's 1988 Daytona 500 which side animal race it is go away this time you got all kind of emotions going there you know that your husband and it your son somebody walked up to me and said well who you pulling for and I said the one that pays the bills so you know I mean what else can you say Bobby Allison holds him up they come to the strike and the winner of the 30th annual race Bobby waving today me that finish it was unique and special because it was this family that had dedicated themselves for so long to that contest and to see the two of them have that moment together that was a very special moment you know when I was a little kid I always dreamed about racing with my dad and having a one-two finish but I wanted him to be second well ever since he ran so good last year had certainly been my dream to be able to race him for the Daytona 500 and we had it right away and it was a great race for me and him too I don't remember anything about the 1988 Tama 500 back on the kids schraeder a mangled car a silence call Bobby's life hanging in the balance the neurosurgeon came in he said your husband has a severe head injury the pressure is 160 around the brain he said that's lethal we have to do a shunt right away and I said well he doesn't want to be a vegetable I don't want him to be a vegetable and you have to do what you have to do when I woke up in the hospital bed had a badly broken left leg it's a broken ribs and the head injury I didn't know what year it was I didn't know what state I was in and I didn't know anybody except my wife and my parents and my kids after four and a half Ruling months bobby was finally well enough to go home even though all was not yet well I was conscious during this period of time but I wasn't connected I guess probably the most difficult thing I've been through is trying to really convince myself that this really did happen that this isn't a dream or you know something that somebody set out and and I involved in yeah so there I am I'm just really in a state of confusion and Judy stayed right there with me we were in Allentown six weeks then we flew to Alabama to Lake Shore rehab things that they wanted him to do there in the rehab were like put these colored blocks in the matching colored hole this wasn't going over with him this was like an insult to his ego oh yeah wrong key is what is it was very hard very stressful on the whole family because it was one day at a time one of the girls had taught him about doing crossword puzzles were very helpful to get your memory going and get it back and he was very into that and he still is now that that starts his day off he have to do that you know the wreck it took away a lot but it took away the memory of a lot of good things especially that race with him and Davi I think he wants to remember it so bad and yet nothing triggers it whereas some of the other things that he doesn't remember can be triggered the Allison in that second position Bobby I've looked at these tapes over and over hoping that some little flicker of that would come back let's see I have no possession of any of that memory Davey Allison not relinquishing anything with him judy allison looking on here's Bobby Allison what must be going through his mind right now here he comes he's by the inside move and holds him up and the winner of the 30th annual Bobby son and second and this family performance as Bobby Allison recovered back home in Hueytown Alabama he drew inspiration from the successes of his oldest son Davey he did so good with racing really doing all the right things and that for his career that that gave me a lot of encouragement I tell you Bobby Allison's little boy day lady Allison be proud check his son who has one I want to dedicate this race to my dad we're his tickle death fear victory lane this is another one for old man there's a lot of my family here but most importantly my dad because he's the one who made us all I love Davy's success also inspired another Alison his younger brother Clifford after a life of play Clifford was ready to dedicate himself to the family business livered kind of latched on to some of the other avenues that you know he had been shown along the way Devi was racing Bobby was racing and so where's the room for Clifford to be in there and so it took him a while to see that yeah he could fit in there if that's what he wanted to do I could see the change in Clifford he was turning around like David he was turning into her he was gonna be a good race car driver - Clifford was in Hueytown and Devi was on the road and so I spent a lot of time with Clifford and he had finally started folks in himself to Lifford Allison cried from here both sons were racing climbing the mountain in the footsteps of their father but none could have known the downfall that lay ahead I was at work and one of the girls in the office just came and said you have a call from your uncle DJ but you need to go sit down oh and I was just like oh my god what's happened never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it would have been ever hey with my baby brother during a practice in Michigan for the 1992 Busch Series race Clifford was gone too soon Bobby wasn't well and it really knocked it probably you know geez and I both struggled in struggle but at least we had Davey and Davey success to help us make it through the tough times I was here working with my mom baby came up the hill in his truck and stopped and talked to us and he told us that he was on his way to go take a helicopter ride out to Talladega so he just said our hellos and our goodbyes and never thought twice about it hello and welcome to this edition of SportsCenter with Keith Olbermann I'm like Jimmy once again reality reclaims the spotlight from sports baseball's all-star game overwhelmed by a tragedy from auto racing that is again devastated one of the great sports families of our generation Davey Allison was in very critical condition late Monday night after the helicopter he was piloting crashed at Talladega Motor Speedway Clifford was killed instantly Davey lives through the night and it was the worst night I guess I've been through just nothing we can do but pray and we certainly prayed um you know one morning came I was obvious that Davey wasn't gonna continue to survive you looking at that picture I can look then I can smile laughter look at that occur it's such an incredible description of our two sons there's Davey smiling for the camera Davey always did what he was supposed to do and there's this little brother Clifford giving him a set of forms and loving it the irony of this whole thing is Davey worked worked worked and got killed plan and Clifford played played plaiting I killed work picture is my all-time favorite it's a special picture and that's a second it was so similar but so different and it's pretty tough to talk about right now it was our livelihood you know they both were gonna carry on the family legacy and it just threw everybody that was in the family into a whirlwind because all of our lives intertwine and we all had to figure out a different direction to go Clifford happened and then Davie happened and then you know and he lost his dad in there and everything - he was living his own traumas and sorrows and everything so he didn't have room for mine you know right I stayed mad about it and I stayed mad at myself but I stayed mad at her and I stayed mad at the world you know just wish I could fall off in the earth somewhere something we just couldn't support each other finally the idea came maybe we need to be suffered you the years that bobby allison spent apart from judy were an awakening to the truth the judy stands for all in his life its best there's is a story bound by love like snapshots held in time Jews and I reconciled and we're back together and immediately life was way better and more comfortable for me you haven't up days and down days and you have days that for the most part is the good things you think about and it's just life is what life is and you have to go on Jimmy help me to be able to live with the myths and pieces that I had trouble sorting out you know lose two kids in 13 months I can't tell you how in the world a man can make it when you think about it it's tough but I just I love him so much can we been so close so I don't know how he I don't know how he gets up they both were good young men and you know they gave us the pleasure that they gave us all we had them and now the Lord has this is Bobby Allison are they racing Allison brothers from Hueytown Alabama a factor in every race II enter don't looks like a one do for the Allison runner it's a great feel and to come out on top in a battle like that coming to the scribe to win the Daytona 500 the leader of the Alabama game the Alabama first time winner of the Daytona to my dad you we're able to enjoy each other but enjoy the career that we've had and the family is having racing and look ahead to whatever next event might come along that we get a little special enjoyment on Bobby and Judy show us the strength of family on the track and off when Adam petty died the separated couple knew their own experiences could comfort Kyle and Patty petty and on an emotional drive to visit grieving parents of a fallen racer the Allison's reconciled their own marriage it takes more than impressive racing records character and compassion are also key values that make Bobby Allison a worthy member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Channel: NascarAllOut

Views: 134,154

Keywords: NASCAR, HOF, Biography, Bobby, Allison, SPEEDHD, x264, English

Id: XzDkdu00dDw

Length: 45min 1sec (2701 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 14 2011