Robert Arthur Allison (born December 3, 1937) is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short tracks with high purses. Allison raced competitively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1961 to 1988, while regularly competing in short track events throughout his career. He also raced in IndyCar, Trans-Am, and Can-Am. Named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he was the 1983 Winston Cup champion and won the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982, and 1988.
His brother Donnie Allison was also a prominent driver, as were his two sons, Clifford and Davey Allison. Bobby and Donnie’s televised fistfight with Cale Yarborough at the 1979 Daytona 500 has been credited with exposing NASCAR to a nationwide audience. Allison was unusual for competing successfully with his own, low-budget team for much of his career.
| Occupation NASCAR Driver (1961 – 1988) NASCAR Owner (1970 – 1985, 1990 – 1996) |
| Achievements Winston Cup Champion (1983) IROC Champion (1980) Daytona 500 Champion (1978, ’82, & ’88) Southern 500 Champion (1971, ’72, ’75, & ’83) World 600 Winner (1971, ’81, & 84) Winston 500 Winner (1979, ’81, & ’86) Busch Clash Winner (1982) Driver Statistics From Racing Reference Career Statistics From Ultimate Racing History Owner Statistics From Racing Reference |
| Awards Winston Cup Most Popular Driver x7 (1971, ’72, ’73, ’80, ’81, ’82, &. ’83) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1992) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1993) NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers (1988) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011) NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
| NASCAR Cup Series Drivers Bobby Allison (1965, ’69-’71, ’73-’74, ’77, ’85) Paul Lewis (1968) G.C. Spencer (1968) Dave Marcis (1970) Neil Bonnett (1974 – ’75) Mike Alexander (1990) Jeff Purvis (1990, ’92, ) Hut Stricklin (1990-92) Jimmy Spencer (1992-93) Chuck Bown (1994) Derrike Cope (1994-96) Tim Steele (1994) |
| Xfinity Series Drivers (Not listed above) Davey Allison (1983-88) |
