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Bobby Allison Named As NC Auto Racing Hall Of Fame Inductee

16 December 1997

MOORESVILLE, NC:---Former NASCAR Winston Cup champion Bobby Allison will be honored in January as the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame's second inductee, it was announced by Don Miller, the organization's chairman. "Bobby Allison's confirmation as the 1998 inductee to the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is fitting recognition of a man who has given so much to the sport of auto racing."

Allison's induction will be January 17, 1998 in the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center's ballroom.

Known as the leader of the famous "Alabama Gang", Allison etched his name in the record books with 84 Winston Cup victories, third on the all-time win list; the 1983 Winston Cup championship; three Daytona 500 victories; and a modified championship in 1965. He remains fifth on the all-time pole winners list with 57 No. 1 starting positions, and claimed the Most Popular Driver award in the Winston Cup division for four straight years - 1971-74.

After experiencing a career-ending crash at Pocono Raceway in June 1988, Allison, 59, returned to the sport as a team owner in 1990. Despite losing both of his sons within an 11-month period (one in a race car and the other in a helicopter crash), Allison continued to field a Winston Cup team through the 1996 season. Now retired, he spends his time handling public speaking engagements and autograph sessions.

The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is located in Mooresville, N.C., in Lakeside (Business) Park just off I-77. In addition to the museum, it contains an art gallery and gift shop, which are open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Its 1997 inaugural inductee was seven-time Winston Cup champion Richard Petty.