Bobby Allison, founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, died Saturday. He was 86 years old.

NASCAR released a statement from Allison’s family saying he died at his home in Mooresville, North Carolina. No cause of death was given, but Allison’s health had been declining for years.

Allison moved into fourth place on NASCAR’s Cup Series victory list last month when president Jim France recognized him as the winner of the Meyers Brothers Memorial at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina in 1971. The sanctioning body updated his record books to reflect the decision, giving Allison 85 wins and removing him from a tie with Darrell Waltrip.

France and longtime NASCAR executive Mike Helton presented Allison with a plaque commemorating the victory. With this, Allison trails only fellow Hall of Famers Richard Petty (200), David Pearson (105) and Jeff Gordon (93) in Cup wins.

Allison was inducted into the second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, in 2011. He was a 1983 NASCAR champion, finished second in the series title race five times and won the Daytona 500 three times.

“Bobby was the fans’ best driver,” Allison’s family said in a statement. “He really enjoyed spending time with his fans and would stop to sign autographs and chat with them wherever he went. “He was a family man and a dedicated friend, and a devout Catholic.”

He helped put NASCAR on the map with more than just his driving. His infamous fight with Cale Yarborough in the final laps of the 1979 Daytona 500 served as one of the sport’s defining moments.

“Cale started punching my fist with his nose,” Allison has said repeatedly, often using that phrase to describe the fight. “Cale understands, as I do, that it really was a benefit to the interest of racing. That shows that we were sincere.”

Born in Miami in 1937, Allison began looking for more racing opportunities outside of the Sunshine State. She landed in central Alabama, where she found a series of small dirt trails.

He returned to Florida to find his brother Donnie and his close friend Red Farmer. They settled in Hueytown, Alabama, and dominated regional racing during the 1960s and early 1970s. They were later joined in the Alabama Gang by Jimmy Mears, Neil Bonnett and Bonnett and Allison’s sons Davey and Clifford.

Allison retired in 1988 after an accident that nearly killed him. In June 1987, he crashed on the first lap at Talledega Superspeedway. He hit the outside wall and was then hit on the driver’s side door. He was initially pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital, but was later resuscitated.

He eventually regained his memory, relearned everyday activities, and attempted to return. But a series of tragedies led Allison to retire. His son, Clifford, was fatally injured during a crash in second-tier Busch Series practice at Michigan International Speedway in 1992. A year later, his son Davey died in a helicopter crash at Talladega.

Three years later, Bobby and his wife Judy divorced. They reconnected four years later at her daughter-in-law’s wedding and remarried in 2000. They remained together until Judy’s death in 2015.

Allison was inducted into the Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, Pearson and Lee Petty.

“Bobby Allison personified the term ‘runner,'” France said in a statement. “While he is best known as one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history, his impact on the sport extends far beyond the record books.

Allison is one of 10 drivers to win the NASCAR “grand slam” race that includes the Cup Series’ most iconic races: the Daytona 500, Winston 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500.

Allison made six IndyCar Series starts for Roger Penske, including a pair of Indy 500s.

— Jenna Fryer | AP Auto Racing Writer

— AP Sports Writer Mark Long contributed to this report.