Bobby Allison finally awarded with 85th Cup Win

NASCAR has officially credited Hall of Famer Bobby Allison with his 85th Cup Series victory, updating the record books for a long-disputed 1971 race at Bowman Gray Stadium. This decision places the 86-year-old Allison in sole possession of fourth place on the Cup Series all-time win list.

NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France, along with vice chairman Mike Helton, visited Allison to inform him of this official recognition. The decision breaks a tie, moving Allison ahead of Darrell Waltrip, who has 84 wins, in NASCAR’s historical rankings. Now, Allison trails only Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Jeff Gordon.

In the August 6, 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial 250 at the quarter-mile oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Allison claimed the checkered flag three seconds ahead of Petty. He received both the winner’s trophy and first-place prize money. However, the event format and circumstances of Allison’s victory sparked controversy even before the race began. To enhance field sizes, NASCAR officials had designated six races that year as combination events between the Cup Series—then known as the Grand National—and the short-lived Grand American Series, which featured “pony cars” like Camaros, Cougars, Firebirds, Javelins, and Mustangs.

The Bowman Gray race was the first of these combined events, and tensions ran high as Grand American teams—considered to have an advantage on the small track—faced warnings from Grand National teams not to participate. Reports described the race as unusually heated, with the typical bumping and shoving on the short track escalating dramatically.

After leading the initial 112 laps, Petty was forced to pit his less fuel-efficient No. 43 Plymouth, giving Allison the lead. He then led the final 138 laps in a red No. 49 Mustang owned by Melvin Joseph and prepared by Holman-Moody, running the entire 250-lap, 62.5-mile distance without a pit stop. Grand American cars ultimately occupied eight of the top ten spots.

Following the race, Petty and other drivers protested, arguing that a win by a Grand American car shouldn’t count toward Grand National records. To address these complaints, officials ruled the race would have no official winner in the record books; Allison was not credited with what would have been his 25th career win, nor was Petty elevated from second to first—meaning Petty’s 200-win total remains unchanged. Two other combination events were held that year, with Tiny Lund winning at Hickory and North Wilkesboro, but neither victory was marked with an asterisk. The Grand American Series was discontinued the following year.

Interest in revisiting Allison’s win grew after the announcement of the 2025 Cup Series schedule, which includes the Clash exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2. This historic track hosted Cup events from 1958 to 1971 and is NASCAR’s longest-running weekly venue.

Among Allison’s 85 career wins are three Daytona 500 victories, with his final win in 1988 marking an emotional 1-2 finish alongside his son, Davey. Allison was also the 1983 Cup Series champion.