Bobby Allison's controversial Bowman Gray victory is one of many stories from 'The Madhouse,' airing in the week leading up to Cup Series return. Check local listings.
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00:00If these old guardrails could talk, the stories would be legendary.
00:06One of the most fascinating is the story of the last time the Cup Series raced at Bowman
00:11Gray on August 6, 1971.
00:15For more than 50 years, that race appeared in the record books without a credited winner.
00:22Midway through the 1971 season, NASCAR determined that there would be six combination races
00:29of the Grand National Division, or what we would call the Cup Series today, and Grand
00:35American, like Eric's Finiti cars of today.
00:39The Grand American cars were like Mustangs, Camaros, Mercury Cougars.
00:46The first of those combination races was scheduled for Bowman Gray Stadium.
00:51Bobby Allison chose the Grand American car because it was lighter.
00:57As the race went on, Bobby had a clear advantage.
01:00He led 118 laps.
01:03At the end of the race, Bobby got the checkered flag, the trophy, all of the things that a
01:09winner normally gets, except he did not get credit for that win.
01:16It's been a controversy ever since.
01:18He said, would you believe I won the race, but they wouldn't give me the win?
01:23I said, no, I don't see how that could happen.
01:26But it did.
01:27There was a vendetta there between Bill French Jr. and Bobby Allison.
01:32You know, he was very upset that Bobby chose the Mustang over the Grand National car.
01:37I know that for a fact.
01:39It was a thorn in the side for Bobby for more than 50 years about why he wasn't credited
01:46with that win.
01:47You know, I think about it, and I did win 85 times, my scout's honor, 85 times.
01:57When NASCAR announced that they were bringing the Clash to Bowman Gray Stadium, I felt like
02:08that that win needed to be validated.
02:12Joey Dinowitz asked me to put together a document that might plead Bobby's case, and Joey presented
02:21that document to Jim Frantz, and Jim immediately said, yes, OK, let's do that.
02:28And we knew at that time Bobby's health was failing.
02:33It was so critical that he knows that he was finally credited for that win.
02:39On October 23, 2024, NASCAR's Jim Frantz and Mike Helton presented Bobby Allison with an
02:46official proclamation.
02:49Allison would finally be recognized as the winner of the 1971 Myers Brothers 250.
02:57Allison passed away just over two weeks later.
03:00The win at Bowman Gray brought his career total to 85, fourth on the all-time NASCAR
03:07wins list.
03:09When I got that phone call saying that that's what they were doing, I relaxed completely.
03:14I said, finally.
03:16When I got the news, I said, he's got it.
03:22He's got that win.
03:23I just am so happy.
03:32He was ecstatic.
03:33I couldn't believe, for as bad as he felt, for him to tell me, he said, Donnie, do you
03:39believe they finally gave me the race?
03:41I think after that happened, then he said, I'm ready to go.
03:46And it's so appropriate that we're going back to Bowman Gray.
03:50Now we can say, yes, Bobby won the race.
03:54I think it, I really think that was a culmination to his life.