NASCAR awarded Hall of Famer Bobby Allison with his 85th Cup Series victory Wednesday, amending the record books on a disputed 1971 race at Bowman Gray Stadium and moving the 86-year-old driver into sole possession of fourth place in the circuit’s all-time win list.
NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France and vice chairman Mike Helton visited Allison on Wednesday to inform him of the recognition. The decision breaks a tie and moves Allison ahead of 84-time winner Darrell Waltrip in NASCAR’s history books, where the Alabama native now ranks behind Richard Petty, David Pearson and Jeff Gordon.
Allison received the trophy and first-place prize money in the Myers Brothers Memorial 250 race on Aug. 6, 1971, held at the quarter-mile oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Allison beat Petty to the checkered flag by a three-second margin.
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But the format for the event and the circumstances of the victory were called into question before the race began. In an effort to boost the field sizes for both the Cup Series — then called Grand National — and its short-lived Grand American Series for “pony cars” such as Camaros, Cougars, Firebirds, Javelins and Mustangs. NASCAR officials announced that six races in the 1971 campaign would be combination events for both divisions.
The summertime meet at Bowman Gray was the first of those events, and Grand American owners and drivers — perceived to have an advantage with more nimble cars at the small venue — received threats and warning from Grand National teams not to show up. Newspaper accounts characterized the race as shrouded with tension, noting that the short track’s typical bumping and shoving escalated to an excessive level.
Petty led the first 112 laps from the pole position, but was forced to pit his larger, less fuel-efficient No. 43 Plymouth for gas. That gave the lead to Allison, who led the remaining 138 laps in a red No. 49 Mustang owned by Melvin Joseph and prepped by Holman-Moody. Allison’s Ford carved its way through the stadium’s tight turns, and he ran the full 250-lap, 62.5-mile distance without stopping as Grand American cars occupied eight of the top 10 finishing positions.
A host of rival drivers cried foul after the race, with runner-up Petty leading the criticisms and contention that a victory by a Grand American car should not count toward the Grand National records. “They ought to send them home and leave them,” Petty told reporters as he quickly left the track. “If we’re running Grand National races, let’s run Grand National cars. If we’re running Grand American races, let’s run Grand American cars.”
Officials placated those howls by ruling that the race would not have an official winner in the record books; Allison was not credited with what would have been his 25th career win, and Petty was not elevated from second place to first, meaning Wednesday’s decision does not affect Petty’s 200-win tally.
Only two more combination Grand American events were held that year, with Tiny Lund winning at both Hickory and North Wilkesboro — triumphs that were not labeled with asterisks. The series ceased operations just one year later.
Allison contended for years that his premier-series win total should stand at 85. “I did win 85 times. Scout’s honor, 85 times,” Allison said to applause during his speech as he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011.
The conversation about restoring that victory gained momentum with this past summer’s release of the 2025 Cup Series schedule, which moved the annual Clash exhibition to Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2. The venue hosted Cup Series events from 1958-71 and continues to operate as NASCAR’s longest-running weekly track.
“For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner,” Jim France said in a statement. “As we began preparations for the upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the topic of the 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.”
Among Allison’s 85 career wins are three victories in the Daytona 500. His 1988 triumph in “The Great American Race” — an emotional 1-2 finish with his son, Davey — marked the final win of his driving career. He was crowned Cup Series champion in 1983.
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