Davey Allison: The Prodigal Son

Davey, who wanted to begin his racing career just as soon as he could, went to summer school for extra credit in order to graduate a term early. Such was the dedication of Davey Allison.

"Constantly Davey would say, 'I'm going to be the best racer,' said Bobby. "I'm going to do what my dad did. I'm going to do better than my Dad did.' "

Davey started in the Hobby division while Bobby was off Winston Cup racing. Red Farmer did all he could to help Davey and younger brother Clifford as well.

"I was running here in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Montgomery, tracks Davey and Clifford were running on, and so naturally I took over Bobby's place trying to help Davey and Clifford as much as I could, because they were like my kids," said Red.

Farmer took Davey to his first race on dirt. They went to the Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Alabama.

"He was like Ned's First Reader the first few laps," said Farmer.

Red told him he had to throw the nose of the car ten feet deeper in the turn than he had been doing on asphalt. Within a few laps Davey set a new world record for a three-eighths-mile dirt track.

"But Davey was like his daddy and Donnie," said Red. "He never liked the dirt tracks much, either."

The day Davey turned eighteen, he showed up at the Birmingham Speedway ready to race. It was his Uncle Donnie who gave him the equipment to compete.

Donnie Allison had three boys, Kenny and twins Ronald and Donald. Ronald was a good driver, ("Ronald had big balls," says John Bailey, who raced against him), and Bobby gave him a fast car for Ronald to race at the Birmingham International Raceway.

(As a driver, Kenny was "way better than Davey," says Eddie Allison. Kenny ran Late Model. When Kenny moved to North Carolina to race, he asked John Bailey if he wanted to go with him. Bailey, who was living in Dothan, Alabama, decided not to go. Later, Kenny had to choose between racing and his girlfriend, and he chose the girlfriend. Bailey today drives Modified cars at the Desoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida.)

By 1979, Donnie felt Davey needed more help than Bobby was giving him.

Donnie said to Bobby, "Why don't you give that boy a car he can go race with?"Bobby said, "He'll do all right."

"And that was it," said Donnie. "That boy was at a stage where he needed help. And for whatever reason, he didn't get it."

Donnie decided that since Bobby had helped out Ronnie, he would help out Davey. Donnie gave Davey his old DiGard car, an old Nova. It had been sitting for two years.

Bobby said Davey would have to work on his car "after hours." And so after working eight to five on Bobby's car, Davey and cousin Kenny stripped the Nova down and got it ready to race evenings and early mornings.

When Davey and his crew cranked the engine up, water crickets blew out the exhaust. Once fixed, though, the car still could go fast.

"Davey came and got my car on a Tuesday afternoon," said Donnie. That night he didn't run, but a week later he made his first start and finished fifth.

Donnie helped Davey in other ways. Donnie loved to discuss how to drive with Davey, and when he was needed, Donnie would cut and weld and bolt or do whatever Davey needed.

"Donnie loved Davey, too," said Eddie Allison. "Donnie would talk to him about how to work hard. So did I. Davey would work his ass off."

If Bobby didn't give Davey money or cars to race, he encouraged him and gave him wise advice. Bobby believed strongly that his short-track experience had been crucial to his success, and he counseled Davey to follow the same path.

"I encouraged him to go to the short tracks, to the local Late Model, Modified, and Sportsmen races," said Bobby. "And he had pretty good success pretty quick. He really wanted to do it."

Davey drove his first race at the Birmingham International Speedway on April 22, 1979. He finished twentieth. On May 5, in his sixth start, Bobby watched as Davey won. (The next day Bobby won at Talladega.) For a time, racing didn't come easy for Davey.

"Davey had to work, because he didn't have the talent," said Eddie Allison. "He got in that race car, and he grabbed hold of that steering wheel, and he said, 'I'm going to beat you.' "

But as dedicated and hardworking as Davey was working on his Sportsman car, in the beginning he didn't accomplish much because he didn't know how to work.