Few drivers made a long-lasting impact in such a short period of time in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards as Hueytown, Alabama’s Davey Allison. Davey was only a regular part of the series for three seasons, 1983 through 1985, but made a lasting impact that will culminate this weekend with his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Davey got his start working on his father’s racecars before eventually getting a chance to race the short tracks in and around their Alabama home. Davey and his friends eventually branched out, and their youth earned them the moniker “The Peach Fuzz Gang” to compliment the “Alabama Gang” that his father Bobby, uncle Donnie, and close family friends Red Farmer and Neil Bonnett made so famous in the 1970s.
Davey would make his way to the superspeedways of ARCA, at first driving an outdated AMC Matador that was left in the corner of his father’s garage. Eventually Davey would find some newer equipment, and when he did, success came shortly thereafter.
Davey would win the first of his eight career ARCA victories at Talladega in May, 1983 and completed the sweep in July of that year. In 1984, he would win at Atlanta before again winning at Talladega, his third consecutive win. He closed the 1985 season with a win at Middle Georgia Raceway, his first ever ARCA short track win. He finished second in the series standings in 1984, missing the summer race at Flat Rock because he snuck away to get married.
He again won at Talladega in 1985, and followed it with a win at Atlanta. He earned the ARCA win in the ARCA/NASCAR Busch Series combination race at Lucas Oil Raceway that summer, the eighth and final series win of his career.
Davey’s superspeedway prowess in ARCA earned him a ride in Junior Johnson’s Chevrolet in 1986 when Neil Bonnett was injured in a crash at Pocono. Davey qualified seventh, stayed in the lead draft all day and even led 13 laps before crossing the finish line exactly where he started.
That run opened the door for him to get the call to replace Cale Yarborough in the Ranier-Lundy No. 28 Ford in 1987, and Davey qualified on the front row at the Daytona 500, the first rookie to ever do so. Davey would go on to win two races that year, again at Talladega and then a 500-mile grind at Dover. In 1988, he finished second in the Daytona 500 to his father Bobby, becoming the only father-son duo to run 1-2 in the Great American Race.
Davey would go on to win 19 Cup Series races from 1987 though July, 1993, including the 1992 Daytona 500. Sadly, Davey lost his life in plane crash at Talladega while flying in to watch his friend David Bonnett test for an upcoming NASCAR Busch Series race. He was just 32 years old.
Davey will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame alongside 1992 NASCAR Cup Series champion Alan Kulwicki, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, and team owners Roger Penske and Jack Roush. The induction ceremony is scheduled for tonight, February 1.
The 2019 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season starts with the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 9. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the race live, with the green flag waving over the expected 40-car field at 4:45 pm ET. ARCARacing.com will have complete event coverage, including live timing & scoring and track updates, free for ARCA for Me members. New members can register at ARCARacing.com/login.
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