“There’s a fight!”
It was the call by the late Ken Squier that marked a significant moment in a driver’s career, one that is replayed even today.
The race was the 1979 Daytona 500, and the drivers involved were Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough.
Allison was leading the Great American Race as he took the white flag. However, Yarborough was closing in fast, attempting to get beneath the No. 1. Allison went to block while Yarborough slid up. Yarborough banged into the No. 1 of Allison and slid slightly off track into the grass on the backstretch.
Yarborough then slid up into Allison, sending them both into the wall. Richard Petty went on to win the race, while Allison and Yarborough’s tempers flared.
“The ’79 Daytona (500) is the most talked about and most important race in NASCAR history,” Allison told Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download.
He also shared on the Download his thoughts toward Yarborough: “I always respected Cale as the racecar driver, but after the Daytona 500 in ’79 I didn’t respect him as a man.”
It was a prominent moment that seemed to define the life of not just Allison, but others (Yarborough and Squier) as well.
But the member of the Alabama Gang should be commemorated for more than just that.
The brother of 1983 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Allison and uncle to Davey Allison, Donnie began his NASCAR career in 1966 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The following year, he claimed Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Grand National Series despite running just 20 of the 49 races. Then, in ’68, he took home his first win at Rockingham Speedway driving for Banjo Matthews. He also earned five top fives and eight top 10s in the 13 races he competed in that year.
In fact, he never ran a full season in his NASCAR career, yet he made the most of every opportunity on the track.
Allison won 10 races, including three at Charlotte Motor, two at Rockingham and two at Talladega Superspeedway. Notably, he took the checkered flag in the World 600 in 1970 after leading 141 laps.
The following weekend, Allison made a foray into the USAC Champ Car Series, running the Indianapolis 500 for AJ Foyt Racing. He won ROTY for the prestigious event, finishing fourth behind Al Unser, Mark Donahue and Dan Gurney.
His most dominant NASCAR performance came at Rockingham in 1977, when he led 374 laps en route to his ninth career…
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