Bobby Allison just won a 1971 race

Like the Tour de France, seven editions of which are still "unattributed" today, the NASCAR was in the same situation until October 23. There is no question here of doping revelations in front of Oprah Winfrey, but rather of a statistical anomaly born from the combination of two championships in the same race. In 1971, on the eve of the terrible oil shock of 1973, the NASCAR Winston Cup field, the premier category, was looking gloomy for certain races. The decision was made to organize six "combined" races in the season, where the Winston Cup field was joined by that of the NASCAR Grand American Series, reserved for "pony cars", such as the Ford Mustang. Less powerful than the Cup cars, these machines could not compete on large speedways, but on a short and narrow track like Bowman Gray, Allison could fight at the front.

At the end of the race, on August 6, 1971, it was Allison who won with his Ford Mustang, ahead of Richard Petty (200 career Cup victories) and his Plymouth Road Runner, from the premier class. Petty, like other Cup drivers, was therefore indignant about the presence of the Grand Americans in the pack, judged to have an advantage on these small speedways. NASCAR therefore decided not to give the victory to Bobby Allison, since he was not in the right class. However, there was no question of attributing the success to Richard Petty, who certainly won the Winston Cup "class", but not the sacrosanct overall victory! The Bowman Gray race therefore had no winner, which did not prevent Petty from winning one of his seven championship titles.

From “unattributed” to Bobby Allison

With the Cup Series returning to Bowman Gray next year for the Clash, an exhibition race that will kick off the 2025 season, championship organizers have been looking into this statistical anomaly, as the event is the only one without an officially recognized winner. It was on October 23 that Bobby Allison was officially recognized as the winner of this 1971 event, giving him the 85th victory of his career. This moves him into sole possession of fourth place in the championship win standings, leaving Darrell Waltrip and his 84 winners bouquets in fifth place.

Another unexpected effect is that Allison thus signs, in 2024 but for a race in 1971, the first victory of the Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series, 28 years before Kevin Harvick's success at Dover in August 2019. Let's bet that "Happy Harvick" will not look unfavorably on the loss of this distinction of first winner at the wheel of a Mustang, to the benefit of a legend like Allison, inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011. A member of the venerated Alabama Gang, Allison won the Daytona 500 three times (including in 1988 ahead of his son Davey), as well as the 1983 Cup Series championship title.

The anomaly is fixed, and we can finally say that 100% of the races in the history of the Cup Series have been won by someone! This seemed obvious, but as is often the case in the United States, small stories can have an impact on the biggest ones…

Of course, Bobby Allison does not qualify for the Phoenix final thanks to his victory, since he has been retired since an accident at Pocono in 1988...

ALSO READ > Joey Logano wins in Las Vegas and qualifies for the final!

A historical moment. pic.twitter.com/lISmMGun7w

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 23, 2024