30 years after the tragic helicopter crash, Larry McReynolds is still honoring his former driver and friend, Davey Allison. Allison was a promising young driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. The son of Bobby Allison of the Alabama Gang, Davey was practically racing royalty.
While Davey Allison died years before I was born, his memory lives on in NASCAR. He is one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers and a two-time third-place finish in the Cup Series. His No. 28 Texaco-Havoline Ford is iconic and one of the most recognizable looks in racing history.
Larry McReynolds, before he was America’s crew chief on Fox Sports, was Davey’s crew chief. The pairing was insanely successful and resulted in a number of wins. It also formed a friendship that McReynolds cherishes to this day.
“30 Years Ago Today, July 13, 1993, not only did I lose the driver I was having so much success with, I absolutely lost my best friend, Davey Allison!” McReynolds tweeted. “So hard to believe it’s been that long! I think about him everyday! His final race at [New Hampshire] we finished 3rd!”
1993 was a hard year for NASCAR. In addition to Allison’s death, Alan Kulwicki lost his life in April of that same year. Two of NASCAR’s brightest stars were taken far too soon. However, their legacies still live on through fans, family, and friends.
On July 12, 1993, Davey Allison took flight in his Hughes 369HS helicopter. Neil Bonnett and his son David had a test they were running at Talladega Superspeedway and Allison wanted to go and support his friends. The test was for David’s Busch Series (Xfinity Series) team at the time. Red Farmer joined Allison on his helicopter.
Upon landing, the helicopter went nose-up all of a sudden, then it crashed. Neil Bonnett was there to help Farmer get out of the wreckage. Allison was unconscious, unresponsive, and would remain that way until his death the next day. Doctors attempted to relieve pressure on his brain via surgery, but it was unsuccessful.
Larry McReynolds remembers New Hampshire finish with Davey Allison
It is fitting that Larry McReynolds mentioned that race at New Hampshire in his tweet. Not only is it coming up this weekend, but Davey Allison was great at the track in his first, and final race there. New Hampshire Motor Speedway had the inaugural Cup Series race at the track in 1993. Two days before Allison’s death.
In that race, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin would finish P1 and P2. With 38 laps led in the event, Allison would finish P3. It was a strong effort from the 32-year-old driver. Earlier in the season, Allison took his final victory in a race at Richmond. He then rallied off five top-5s before his untimely death that year.
We will never know what would have happened with Davey Allison and his career. The same for Alan Kulwicki. Both were seen as potential multi-time Cup champions. Only Kulwicki was able to achieve that goal in the 1992 season.
Today, we all remember drivers like Davey Allison for what they were able to accomplish, who they surrounded themselves with, and all of the potential that they held. Gone too soon.
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