Post by pmossberg on Oct 30, 2009 14:53:21 GMT -5
Great tribute to Davey Allison from NASCAR.com
www.nascar.com/2009/news/opinion/10/30/remembering.dallison/index.html
How different would it be had Allison been here?
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
October 30, 2009
03:43 PM EDT
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- The last time we saw Davey Allison, he was 32, with thick, dark hair and moustache, an ever-present smile and eyes that sparkled with youthful enthusiasm.
The last time we saw Davey Allison, he was on the cusp of greatness, ready and willing to take his place among the sport's superstars.
The last time we saw Davey Allison, the future seemed so full of promise. Along with younger brother Clifford, the second generation was more than ready to carry on the legend of the Alabama Gang.
And then he was taken away from us.
It's impossible not to enter the grounds of Talladega Superspeedway and not think of what might have been had Davey Allison not been killed in that helicopter accident 16 years ago. Just two years younger than Mark Martin, he would be one of the grizzled veterans now, perhaps his hair flecked with gray, his face creased with wrinkles.
Bobby Allison shares that feeling, too.
"Davey always comes to mind, whether I'm here or wherever I am," Allison said Friday. "This really was his favorite place. I think about him a lot. I was just showing my favorite picture of Davey and Clifford to a friend about 30 minutes ago right here.
Bobby won the 1986 Winston 500 here at age 48. That's how old Davey Allison would be today. And younger brother Clifford, killed less than a year later in a practice accident at Michigan, would have celebrated his 45th birthday earlier this month.
"Clifford would be a grandfather," Allison said. "Davey's daughter is in college and his son is a senior in high school. So it's been a lot of years that have gone by."
Sixteen years may be but an eyeblink to some, but in NASCAR, it's an eternity. Allison made his final start at Loudon in the No. 28 Ford, and only a handful of the drivers from that race still climb behind the wheel on a full-time basis.
How many championships would Davey Allison have won? How many wins? How would the history of NASCAR have been different if Allison was here to have battled with Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and the rest?
"I don't dwell on that," Bobby Allison said. "I feel Davey would have had championships and confident Davey would have done all kinds of great things. That deal ended and I enjoy his memory and it is fun to think of what could have been, but I don't dwell on it."
Bobby Allison appreciates the continuing fan response to what Davey represented. And even though Davey was taken away from us way too soon, the memories keep him at the forefront of his father's thoughts.
"It's great to think that we were the parents of a child that was so loved around the world," Allison said. "He was such a competitor, but he also had that magnetism. We think about Davey all time."
Davey's Career Statistics
Year~Races~Wins~T5s~T10s
1985~3~0~0~1
1986~5~0~0~1
1987~22~2~9~10
1988~29~2~12~16
1989~29~2~7~13
1990~29~2~5~10
1991~29~5~12~16
1992~29~5~15~17
1993~16~1~6~8
Totals~191~19~66~92
www.nascar.com/2009/news/opinion/10/30/remembering.dallison/index.html
How different would it be had Allison been here?
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
October 30, 2009
03:43 PM EDT
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- The last time we saw Davey Allison, he was 32, with thick, dark hair and moustache, an ever-present smile and eyes that sparkled with youthful enthusiasm.
The last time we saw Davey Allison, he was on the cusp of greatness, ready and willing to take his place among the sport's superstars.
The last time we saw Davey Allison, the future seemed so full of promise. Along with younger brother Clifford, the second generation was more than ready to carry on the legend of the Alabama Gang.
And then he was taken away from us.
It's impossible not to enter the grounds of Talladega Superspeedway and not think of what might have been had Davey Allison not been killed in that helicopter accident 16 years ago. Just two years younger than Mark Martin, he would be one of the grizzled veterans now, perhaps his hair flecked with gray, his face creased with wrinkles.
Bobby Allison shares that feeling, too.
"Davey always comes to mind, whether I'm here or wherever I am," Allison said Friday. "This really was his favorite place. I think about him a lot. I was just showing my favorite picture of Davey and Clifford to a friend about 30 minutes ago right here.
Bobby won the 1986 Winston 500 here at age 48. That's how old Davey Allison would be today. And younger brother Clifford, killed less than a year later in a practice accident at Michigan, would have celebrated his 45th birthday earlier this month.
"Clifford would be a grandfather," Allison said. "Davey's daughter is in college and his son is a senior in high school. So it's been a lot of years that have gone by."
Sixteen years may be but an eyeblink to some, but in NASCAR, it's an eternity. Allison made his final start at Loudon in the No. 28 Ford, and only a handful of the drivers from that race still climb behind the wheel on a full-time basis.
How many championships would Davey Allison have won? How many wins? How would the history of NASCAR have been different if Allison was here to have battled with Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and the rest?
"I don't dwell on that," Bobby Allison said. "I feel Davey would have had championships and confident Davey would have done all kinds of great things. That deal ended and I enjoy his memory and it is fun to think of what could have been, but I don't dwell on it."
Bobby Allison appreciates the continuing fan response to what Davey represented. And even though Davey was taken away from us way too soon, the memories keep him at the forefront of his father's thoughts.
"It's great to think that we were the parents of a child that was so loved around the world," Allison said. "He was such a competitor, but he also had that magnetism. We think about Davey all time."
Davey's Career Statistics
Year~Races~Wins~T5s~T10s
1985~3~0~0~1
1986~5~0~0~1
1987~22~2~9~10
1988~29~2~12~16
1989~29~2~7~13
1990~29~2~5~10
1991~29~5~12~16
1992~29~5~15~17
1993~16~1~6~8
Totals~191~19~66~92
I have Richard petty cars 1/18 1/24 scales! Etc...
