There was a time when Hueytown, Alabama, was as much a part of NASCAR’s geography as Daytona Beach and Charlotte. Bobby Allisonhis brother Donnie Allison and his friend Red Farmer made that happen with their ability to make stock cars fast and then drive them that way.

Under the collective nickname of the Alabama Gang, each succeeded in the sport at a level that landed them in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. But at the highest level of stock car racing, Bobby Allison forced himself into the discussion of the handful of greatest drivers in history.

Allison died Saturday at age 86. NASCAR announced.

Despite her association with Alabama, Allison was not a native of the state. Instead, he was a Floridian drawn to Alabama for its vibrant car scene.

“What brought me to Alabama was the paved racetracks at the time when I was ready to try to expand my racing career.” Allison told AL.com in 2017. “I found myself quite comfortable on pavement, but quite uncomfortable on dirt tracks. I came to Alabama because I heard there were good paved trails in Alabama. My brother Donnie came with me. A couple more people came from South Florida: a driver named Gil Hearn and a car owner named Kenny Andrews.

“We went to Montgomery Speedway and the promoter said, ‘We’re racing here tomorrow night, but tonight they’re racing at Dixie Speedway in Birmingham.’ So we said, ‘Which direction is that?’ And he pointed, and we got in the trucks, and we went to Midfield and found the Dixie Speedway. On Friday night at Dixie, I won a reasonable amount of money: my winnings that night were $135, which was the largest purse I had ever raised at that point in my career. We spent the night there and went to Montgomery for Saturday night. I met the drivers at that track and a few more competitors from Alabama. He made friends with many competitors and the promoters and fans were very receptive. It was really a good deal for me. I had yet to win a main event in my career and it looked like I was on the verge of winning when Sonny Black was able to beat me with his higher horsepower Cadillac. But I won a lot of money and we jumped to Atlanta on Sunday night at the Peach Bowl.

“Alabama became a very special place for Donnie and me. The following spring I got married. Judy and I moved to Alabama. We loved the people, the place, the race tracks and the sport we played there. “I really loved Alabama.”

Allison raced across the state on her way to the top rung of the racing ladder.

“Birmingham. Montgomery, Allison said. in 2017. “Huntsville had a quarter-mile track. That was a great place for me. I won there several times. Mobile built a race track and I raced there. Pensacola, Florida is right on the south side of Alabama, so I almost consider it an Alabama track, and I had good luck there. I ran in Columbus, Georgia, Macon, the Peach Bowl. I also ran Nashville and Chattanooga. I had a lot of good places to race to build my racing career.”

Allison competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, moving from Grand National to Winston Cup from 1961 to 1988.

Allison won 85 races at NASCAR’s highest level, including the Daytona 500 three times, the Southern 500 four times and four events at Talladega Superspeedway, captured the Winston Cup championship in 1983 and was voted the most successful driver. popular NASCAR in eight seasons.

Allison’s racing career landed him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the second generation of inductees, but it was no joyride.

A horrific accident during the Miller High Life 500 at Pocono Raceway on June 19, 1988 brought an abrupt end to his career. In 1992, his son Clifford was killed in a crash at Michigan International Speedway. In 1993, his son Davey died in a helicopter crash in Talladega.

Along the way, Allison played a central role in perhaps NASCAR’s most famous scene, as he and his brother Donnie traded blows with fellow driver Cale Yarbrough next to wrecked cars on the infield grass just before the finish line as Richard Petty passed to win the 1979 Daytona 500 race.

Allison’s death came less than a month after gaining her final victory.

In October, NASCAR recognized Allison’s victory at the Myers Brothers Memorial at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on August 6, 1971, putting the victory in their official record book.

Earning credit for a Cup win, Allison broke out of a tie with Darrell Waltrip and took sole possession of fourth place in NASCAR Cup wins. Petty holds the record with 200 wins, followed by David Pearson with 105 and Jeff Gordon with 93.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.