“Gone Way Too Soon” – Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Brother Pens Emotional Tribute to Late NASCAR Rival & Ex-Daytona 500 Winner Davey Allison

It has been more than 30 years since NASCAR lost the supremely talented Davey Allison. Had he lived, he would have been 62 years old today. Sadly, he died in a helicopter accident at the Talladega Superspeedway. Allison tried to land the helicopter inside a fenced-in area of the track infield when it lost control and crashed.

Now, three decades later, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s brother Kerry Earnhardt paid tribute to Allison on his birthday. Kerry shared a rare photograph on social media in which Kerry is seen with Davey Allison, captioned, “Happy b’day buddy. A good one gone way too soon.”

Allison competed in NASCAR between 1985 and 1993, winning 19 races in his career. He even came close to winning the Cup Series in his short career. He was placed 3rd in the 1991 and 1992 Cup Series. However, he did manage to win the Daytona 500 in 1992, just as his father Bobby had done earlier in 1978, 1982, and 1988.

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What else to know about Davey Allison’s promising NASCAR career?

Bobby Allison started the “Alabama Gang” with his brother Donnie and Red Farmer in the 60s, and they set up shop in Hueytown, Alabama. With time, newer members based around Hueytown, Alabama, also joined the gang. In the late 70s, the next generation of drivers, including Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett, David Bonnett, and Hut Stricklin also joined the gang.

As for his NASCAR career, Davey Allison announced himself onto the scene with a bang. During his debut season, Allison got off to a shaky start with two failed attempts to qualify but finally broke the jinx at Talladega. Over there, he managed to finish in 10th place, which was impressive for his debut race.

Talladega would prove to be a lucky charm because his maiden Cup Series win came at the track in 1987. That year, he snatched a second win at the Dover International Speedway. Since then, he had been going strong with back-to-back 3rd place championship finishes in the 1991 and 1992 seasons, until the tragic accident put an end to a promising career.

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