NASCAR Ford Recognized As Bowman Gray Winner 53 Years Later

October 27, 2024 5:02 am

There was one race in NASCAR Cup Series history that didn’t have an officially recognized winner: the Myers Brothers Memorial 250 at Bowman Gray Stadium on August 6^th, 1971. After 53 years, on October 23^rd, 2024, the sanctioning body finally ruled on the controversial race, announcing that the win belongs Bobby Allison, who drove a NASCAR Ford Mustang stock car in the event.

Image of NASCAR Ford driver Bobby Allison.

Allison in 2013

The race at Bowman Gray – where the preseason Clash will be held in 2025 – was one of six events in the 1971 season in which Grand National (equivalent to today’s Cup Series) and smaller Grand American race cars shared a track. Allison was a competitor in both divisions and elected to drive his No. 49 NASCAR Ford Mustang, which was classified as a Grand American race car. Allison led 138 of 200 laps around the quarter-mile oval, and while he was awarded the trophy, the win was never officially recognized and did not count toward his victory tally.

Now that Allison has been officially credited with winning at Bowman Gray in 1971, he has 85 victories to his name, placing him fourth on the all-time win list. Previously, he was tied with Darrell Waltrip with 84 wins. Allison only trails Richard Petty with 200 wins, David Pearson with 105, and Jeff Gordon with 93.

Mike Helton, Vice Chairman of NASCAR (left), Bobby Allison (center), and Jim France, and Jim France, Chairman and CEO of NASCAR (right)

“For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner,” said Jim France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, in a statement. “As we began preparations for the upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the topic of that August 6, 1971 race returned to the forefront. We felt it was the right thing to officially recognize Bobby’s win and honor him as an 85-time NASCAR Cup Series winner. We are grateful for Bobby’s lifetime contributions to NASCAR.”

Allison was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011. He’s a five-time champion with the 1983 Cup Series title, two Modified Division titles in 1964 and 1965, and Modified Special Division in 1962 and 1963. He won the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982, and 1988. He was also recognized as one of the 75 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR History.