NASCAR Declares Bobby Allison Winner of 1971 Winston-Salem Race to End Long Dispute

Stock car racing's governing body put a five-decade-old controversy to bed.

Bobby Allison in 1984. / Greg Lovett / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After 53 years, one of NASCAR's most durable controversies has come to an end.

Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison has been declared the winner of the 1971 Myers Brothers 250 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., the stock car racing governing body announced Wednesday afternoon.

"NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France and vice chairman Mike Helton visited Allison on Wednesday to inform him of the recognition," Zack Albert wrote on NASCAR's website.

The race—the final Cup Series race to date at one of racing's most hallowed venues—had officially had no winner for 53 years. The lack of resolution sprung from a dispute over the make of Allison's car, a Ford Mustang that was perceived to give him an unfair advantage over competitors on the quarter-mile track.

In '71, NASCAR briefly experimented with races involving both Grand National cars and the pony cars of the short-lived Grand American series. The Myers Brothers 250 was one such race, and Allison's pony-car victory left runner-up Richard Petty fuming.

Petty filed a complaint with NASCAR that resulted in Allison losing the victory. Regaining it allows him to move ahead of Darrell Waltrip for sole possession of fourth place on the Cup Series's all-time wins list.

NASCAR's top division will return to Bowman Gray Stadium in February for the annual preseason Clash.

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