One of the longest-running controversies in auto racing history is officially over.
NASCAR announced Wednesday that it is recognizing Hall of Famer Bobby Allison as the official winner of a Cup Series race at Bowman Gray Stadium from Aug. 6, 1971. The announcement ends a 53-year controversy over the only race in the sport's history to not have an official winner. Allison, 86, will now be credited with 85 career Cup Series wins, moving him into sole possession of fourth on the sport's all-time wins list.
The 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial 250 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, North Carolina had long held an odd place in NASCAR history as the circumstances of the race and its outcome had been disputed from the time it was held. In an effort to boost car counts for their Grand National tour (now the Cup Series) as well as the short-lived Grand American series for "pony cars" (Camaros, Cougars, Mustangs, etc.), NASCAR announced that six races in 1971 would be combination events where both series would compete alongside each other.
However, this was met with pushback from Grand National teams, as it was believed that the Grand American cars had an excessive advantage on Bowman Gray's quarter-mile oval because they were smaller, nimbler and more fuel efficient. This played out during the race as Richard Petty had to bring his Grand National Plymouth to pit road for fuel after leading the first 112 laps while Allison, driving a Holman-Moody Grand American Mustang, did not have to pit and led the remaining 138 laps on his way to victory.
A historic moment. pic.twitter.com/lISmMGun7w
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To placate the objections of Grand National drivers that Allison's win in a Grand American car should not count -- such scoring disputes were not uncommon prior to the start of NASCAR's modern era in 1972 -- officials announced that the race would not go into the record books as having an official winner. Allison was not given credit for what was his 25th career Cup win, and Petty -- who wound up running second -- was not recognized as the winner either.
Now, with Bowman Gray Stadium set to return to the Cup schedule as the site of its season-opening Clash in 2025, NASCAR CEO Jim France and senior advisor Mike Helton visited Allison to inform him that the decision was finally being reversed.
"For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner," 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."
Being credited with his Bowman Gray win now moves Allison out of a tie with Darrell Waltrip for fourth on NASCAR's all-time wins list and now gives him sole possession of that spot, with his mark of 85 wins trailing only Jeff Gordon (93), David Pearson (105), and Petty (200). It also resolves what had long been a sore point of Allisons, as he referenced the victory and his actual win total upon being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011.
"I did win 85 times. Scout's honor, 85 times," Allison remarked in his Hall of Fame speech.
The revision by NASCAR also gives the Allison family a total of 114 combined Cup Series wins. Bobby's brother Donnie Allison and son Davey Allison, both of whom are also in the Hall of Fame, won 10 and 19 times respectively during their own careers.
