Imagine winning a race and then being denied the victory for 50 years. That’s exactly what happened to NASCAR legend Bobby Allison, who was in a tie with Darrell Waltrip in terms of total race wins. Both the drivers were at 84 wins, and now with this update on the situation, Allison has found himself winning the tie.

NASCAR made a huge announcement this past Wednesday, recognizing Hall of Famer Bobby Allison as the rightful owner of 85 Cup Series victories. To right their wrongs, NASCAR’s CEO Jim France and Vice Chairman Mike Helton delivered the news personally to Allison. But while this comes as good news for most NASCAR fans, it’s not hard to see why Waltrip supporters are not happy.

The race from 50 years ago that affected Bobby Allison and Darrel Waltrip’s future

The race in question took place at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on August 6, 1971. Allison’s victory came in the Myers Brothers Memorial 250, where he outpaced Richard Petty by a three-second margin. While it sounds straightforward, the circumstances surrounding the race were anything but clear-cut. NASCAR had announced that six events that year would be combination races for the Cup Series and the Grand American Series.

Petty, who led for the first 112 laps, was forced to pit for gas, allowing Allison to take over and ultimately secure the win. However, many drivers, including Petty, voiced their frustrations that a Grand American car should not count in the Grand National records. Petty famously stated that if they were running Grand National races, they should be using Grand National cars. At the time, NASCAR had set 6 six races with cars from both NASCAR and the Grand National series in order to promote the latter competition.

In the aftermath, officials declared the race officially had no winner, leaving both Allison and Petty’s standings unresolved for decades. It wasn’t until now that Allison’s claim was reinstated, giving him the recognition he believed he had earned all along.

The push to restore Allison’s victory gained momentum recently, especially with the upcoming Clash exhibition set to return to Bowman Gray Stadium in February 2025. France explained that for over 50 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only NASCAR race without an official winner, and it was time to rectify that.

But granting Bobby Allison the win brought an uproar from some fans who were not happy with the fact that Darrell Waltrip fell in the winningest driver ranking.

Fans unhappy about NASCAR changing yet another decision they made

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After the Talladega DVP rule change after the ‘Biggest One’, NASCAR’s governing body has been under quite a bit of scrutiny. Now that NASCAR has changed another decision from the past, it’s clear to see why some fans are not happy. One fan tossed out a sarcastic question: “Is it going to take 53 years to admit the playoffs reward the wrong behaviors and spotty performance?” That digs at how the current playoff system seems to favor drivers who may not perform consistently but can snag a win when it counts.

The comment “86-year-old Bobby Allison should now qualify for the championship 4. Win and in or something” is a cheeky jab at NASCAR’s playoff system. It plays on the irony that a legendary driver like Allison, who’s well past his racing prime, could suddenly be in the championship conversation just because NASCAR recognized his long-overdue 85th win.

A fan who seemed frustrated at how NASCAR took over 50 years to come to this conclusion didn’t hold back to post, “It took time, NASCAR!” Although it might feel like the fan was happy about the decision finally being made, the fan’s frustrations were more about how long NASCAR took to implement the win.

Fans can almost picture Darrell Waltrip rolling his eyes with a fan stating, “Darrell Waltrip fuming RN.” With this new twist, Waltrip’s supporters might feel like their guy just got pushed to the back seat, and that’s bound to sting a bit. It’s like a classic rivalry being reignited, and nobody wants to see their guy get overshadowed, especially when it’s a legendary driver like Allison.

And of course, there’s the fan who was unhappy with the decision made by the officials, saying, “NASCAR always changes rules to suit themselves.” This one really captures the sentiment that NASCAR sometimes feels a little too flexible with the rules, leading to heated discussions about fairness. Many fans have called NASCAR out in the recent past for changing their decision, and hopefully, the governing body understands how it affects their fan’s perspective of the sport.

So while there’s excitement about honoring Allison’s win after all these years, these reactions show that fans are grappling with bigger issues in the sport. It’s a love-hate relationship—everyone wants to celebrate the history, but many are questioning how it fits into the current NASCAR landscape.