The NASCAR record books have changed after the sanctioning body officially awarded Bobby Allison another win.
Videos by FanBuzz
According to a press release issued on Wednesday, the Hall of Fame driver is now the official winner of the Myers Brothers Memorial Cup Series race that took place on Aug. 6, 1971. This race took place at Bowman Gray Stadium, the site of next season's Clash exhibition race.
With the win, Allison now moves to 85 career Cup Series. This breaks his tie with Darrell Waltrip and moves him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time Cup Series wins list. The only drivers ahead of him are Richard Petty (200 wins), David Pearson (105), and Jeff Gordon (93).
A historic moment. pic.twitter.com/lISmMGun7w
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 23, 2024
"For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner," said Jim France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, in a statement. "As we began preparations for the upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the topic of that August 6, 1971 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."
The now-historic race began with Petty starting from the pole position. The eventual season champion led 112 laps in his No. 43 Plymouth, but it was Allison who took control late. He led 138 laps and crossed the finish line first in his No. 49 Mustang.
NASCAR didn't recognize this win as it had a mixed field of competitors. The Grand National — now Cup — cars made up the majority of the starting grid, but 10 cars were from the Grand American Series. This series featured pony cars such as Mustangs, Camaros, Cougars, and Firebirds.
The 1971 season, which included six of these combination events, featured Allison celebrating 11 different wins. One five-race stretch began with the World 600 — now the Coca-Cola 600 — and continued with wins at Dover, Michigan, Riverside, and Houston.
Petty won the championship in 1971 as Allison only started 42 of the 48 races, but the charter member of the Alabama Gang won a title as his career continued. He locked up the championship in 1983 after winning six of the 30 races.
Allison, whose list of achievements includes three Daytona 500 wins, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011.
