Tragedy never snuffed out Bobby Allison's triumphant spirit

In a Sports Illustrated article from February of 1997, Bobby Allison was aptly compared to Biblical figure Job as a man who never lost faith despite having every reason to do so. 

That comparison has perhaps never been so appropriate as Allison's life is remembered in the wake of his death on Saturday. 

Allison was in the 28th year of his storied NASCAR Winston Cup Series career when the circuit went to the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on June 19, 1988. In February, Allison had won his third Daytona 500, with his son, Davey, finishing second and celebrating with his father in victory lane. 

But on that June day, Bobby Allison's life nearly came to an abrupt and premature end, as a horrific crash resulted in him being declared dead at a local hospital. While Bobby Allison eventually recovered, he never drove in NASCAR again. 

That alone would be enough to break stronger men than Bobby Allison, who was suddenly no longer driving a race car after doing so for 28 years. 

On Aug. 13, 1992, Bobby Allison's son Clifford was practicing for the NASCAR Busch Series' Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan International Speedway when his car snapped loose in turn four, hitting the wall on the driver's side of the vehicle. Clifford died en route to the hospital. 

Less than a year later, on July 13, 1993, Davey Allison — the older brother of Clifford — died from injuries suffered in a helicopter accident on July 12 at the Talladega Superspeedway, located just an hour east of the Allisons' home in Hueytown, Alabama. 

After being forced to bury both of his sons in the span of less than a year, Allison and his wife, Judy, separated in 1996 after 36 years of marriage. 

In less than a decade, Bobby Allison had been forced to bear more tragedy than most human beings suffer in a lifetime. 

Yet through all of it, Bobby Allison remained staunch in his faith and in his determination not to let tragedy get the best of him. Despite suffering through so much loss and his physical limitations, he also remained heavily involved in racing as a car owner, having brought back his own race team for the 1990 season. 

But just like seemingly every other aspect of his life at the time, the team presented more challenges for Bobby Allison, shutting its doors at the end of the 1996 Winston Cup season after sponsorship dried up. 

That still didn't deter Bobby Allison from living life to the fullest. 

In 2000, he and Judy remarried, staying together until Judy's death in 2015. 

In 2011, Bobby Allison was honored as a member of the second NASCAR Hall of Fame class and was also named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers during the sport's 75th anniversary in 2023. 

Perhaps the most heartwarming moment of Bobby Allison's final years came on Oct. 23, when he was awarded the 85th win of his career 53 years after the Aug. 1971 race at Bowman Gray Stadium. The victory pushed Bobby Allison into a league of his own, making him the fourth-winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history. 

A frail but smiling Bobby Allison exuded so much joy in pictures that reinvigorated the conversation regarding his legendary career. 

Bobby Allison wasn't just an incredible racecar driver but a man who never gave up in the face of countless tragedies. 

As seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt once said, "When Bobby Allison would roll in, you'd think God had rolled in."

Those words perfectly encapsulate the spirit of a man who while weakened, was never destroyed by the cruel unfairness of life.