Clifford Allison
| Clifford Allison | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | October 20, 1964 Hueytown, Alabama, United States |
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| Died | August 13, 1992 (aged 27) Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan, USA |
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| Cause of death | Racing accident | ||||||
| NASCAR Nationwide Series career | |||||||
| 22 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 27th – 1992 | ||||||
| First race | 1990 Goody's 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 1992 Fram Filter 500K (Talladega) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of January 28, 2012. | |||||||
Clifford Allison (October 20, 1964 in Hueytown, Alabama - August 13, 1992 in Brooklyn, Michigan) was an American stock car racing driver. Son of NASCAR champion Bobby Allison, he was a member of the "Alabama Gang". He was killed in a practice crash for a NASCAR Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway in 1992.
[edit] Life and career
Son of the legendary Bobby Allison, nephew of Donnie and brother to Davey, Clifford Allison was raised in Hueytown, Alabama and was regarded by fans and the media as a member of stock car racing's "Alabama Gang".[1] Allison was seen as "crazy wild" by his relatives,[2] and his brother stated he believed Clifford had the greater talent of the two younger Allisons.[3] Married young to Tammy, he worked in a coal mine, owned by J.D. Stacy, in Kentucky for a period, but soon returned to Alabama and shortly after divorced. He was then briefly crew chief for his father's Busch Series race team before the team was disbanded in 1988.[4] Remarried, to Elsa,[5] Clifford started his racing career in earnest in the early 1990s, competing in ARCA and NASCAR Busch Series events; his best finish came in an ARCA race at Texas World Speedway in April 1992, where he finished second.[6]
[edit] Death
During practice for the Detroit Gasket 200, a Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway in August 1992,[3] Allison spun in turn 4, hitting the concrete wall on the driver's side;[7] he died shortly thereafter while in transit to a hospital.[8] He was the first of two Allisons to die within the space of eleven months; his brother perished in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway the following year.[9]
[edit] References
- Citations
- ^ Allison 2005, p.55.
- ^ Golenbock 2006, p.289.
- ^ a b Golenbock 2006, p.309.
- ^ Golenbock 2006, p.290-291.
- ^ Golenbock 2006, p.291.
- ^ Golenbock 2006, p.292.
- ^ Golenbock 2006, p.310.
- ^ Clifford Allison dies in practice run crash, The New York Times, 14 August 1992.
- ^ Hinton, Ed (July 26, 1993). "Requiem For A Racing Man". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138324/index.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
- Bibliography
- Allison, Donnie; Jimmy Creed (2005). Donnie Allison: As I Recall.... Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 1-59670-060-2.
- Golenbock, Peter (2006). Miracle: Bobby Allison and the Saga of the Alabama Gang. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-34002-8.
