Bobby Allison, the 1983 NASCAR champion, who was considered among the top 10 legends in the sport’s history, died on Saturday, November 9, 2024. NASCAR announced Allison’s death after releasing a statement from Allison's family that said he died at home in Mooresville, North Carolina. The cause of death is unknown. He was 86-years-old.
The statement from Bobby Allison’s family read:
"Bobby was the ultimate fan's driver," Allison's family said in a statement. "He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his fans and would stop to sign autographs and have conversations with them everywhere he went. He was a dedicated family man and friend, and a devout Catholic."
Allison’s death comes nine years after his wife of over 50 years Judy Allison passed away in 2015, following complications of surgery. She was 74. Allison, who was inducted into NASCAR's second Hall of Fame class in 2011, suffered terrible heartbreak after losing two sons in separate accidents.
The family tragedy almost tore Bobby and Judy Allison apart. However, their bond endured the unbearable heartache of losing two sons, Davey and Clifford, both racers. Here’s everything we know about Bobby Allison’s marriage to Judy.
Bobby Allison and Judy Allison were married in 1960
Bobby Allison was born to one of auto racing's most famous families in 1937. Originally from Florida, brothers Robert Allison, also known as Bobby Allison, and Donnie Allison settled in the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown during their early racing careers in the 1960s and became the first family of racing in Alabama.
Both the brothers had successful careers with the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The brothers set up the “Alabama Gang” – a group of drivers from Hueytown, Alabama, with fellow Miami-based driver Charles "Red" Farmer.
The gang would later include Hueytown residents Neil Bonnett, David Bonnett, and Hut Stricklin, who married Donnie Allison's daughter.
Bobby and Judy Allison met in Florida
Allison met his wife Judy in the late '50s in Florida. According to Bobby Allison’s website, the racer was introduced to Judy through her sister, Carolyn, and her husband, Ralph Stark, who had sold a race car to a guy and Bobby was asked to drive it.
They reportedly went to Medley Speedway in Florida, where during the race, Allison's car caught on fire after hitting a wall. Allison’s friend, Bob Janell, who was sitting down in front of Judy, saw her call out Bobby’s name with concern following the crash, prompting him to run straight to Allison and tell him what she had done.
Shortly after, when everyone went to the local hangout, Allison reportedly sat where he could make “eye contact with Judy while they ate.”
However, their first date was reportedly a disaster. Allison boasted about his girlfriends during the date, which didn’t go down so well with Judy, who declared to her sister she never wanted to see the “conceited individual” again.
However, Allison eventually won her over and the two married on February 20, 1960. The couple had four children Davey, Clifford, Bonnie, and Carrie.
Bobby and Judy Allison divorced in 1995 only to remarry five years later
Judy Allison, considered the resilient matriarch of the NASCAR family, persevered through Bobby Allison’s accident at Pocono Raceway in 1988. The crash ended his NASCAR career when he almost died after his car was T-boned on the track. He had years of rehabilitation.
Judy Allison also survived the loss of her two sons, Clifford and Davey, who died in two separate crashes in the early 1990s. Three years after losing their two sons, Judy and Bobby Allison divorced in 1995, only to reconnect four years later at their daughter-in-law's wedding.
Judy and Bobby were remarried in 2000 and stayed together until she died in 2015.
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Bobby Allison is one of 10 drivers to win NASCAR's career "grand slam" including the Cup Series. He also won the Daytona 500 three times, the Winston 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500. He is survived by his two daughters, Bonnie and Carrie, and his brother Donnie Allison.
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