Allison thought the world of Donohue and admired the driver who was the cornerstone of Penske Racing in those days.

To add to the misery in 1973, Allison and his wife, Judy, were close friends with popular driver Art Pollard. When Allison and her husband entered the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Pole Day, Pollard was killed in a crash that occurred right before their eyes.

“Judy and I came through the tunnel and this crash happened and Art Pollard was killed,” Bobby Allison recalled. “Judy wanted to leave right away, but I had to because I made a promise to Roger Penske.

“All IndyCar drivers and crews were automatically convinced that they were better than any NASCAR driver. I knew better than that. “I was astonished by this attitude.”

After two days of rain and a horrific crash at the start of the race on Memorial Day Monday, when Salt Walther’s car went into the tire barrier and sprayed hot fuel into the crowd, badly burning dozens of spectators. The race was stopped that day due to more rain and darkness. It was completely rained out on Tuesday and race officials rushed to start the race on Wednesday morning.

Allison’s engine blew up in Parade.

“I was there all month and I didn’t even get a lap in the Indianapolis 500,” Allison said. “Judy was sitting in the stands for the raise and was just a few hundred yards from where Swede Savage was killed.

“He was pretty unhappy with the whole experience.”

Penske convinced Allison to give it another try at the Indy 500 in 1975. Allison was driving Penske’s AMC Matador in NASCAR, and the combination was enjoying success. However, Bobby did not get along with Penske Racing chief mechanic Jim McGee. Changes were made to Allison’s car without her knowledge.

“I missed the field the first day,” Penske said. “I managed to get into the top 10, but that was on the second day.

“I started at 13^Thisand led 23^third round of the race. I crashed and the fuel system failed and I spilled alcohol on myself. I was sitting in a bathtub full of alcohol and the crew told me to go run the car until it ran out of fuel. I stopped, lost a lap, got a caution, fixed the car where I was comfortable. Halfway through the race, I found myself under green after six laps.

“Two laps later my engine blew.

“I said, ‘I don’t need this.’ I worked hard to be successful in NASCAR. “I wanted to do well in NASCAR.”

Throughout Bobby Allison’s career, he frequently came into conflict with authority figures such as team owners, NASCAR officials, crew members, or fellow drivers.

When told about his thoughts on the anger his brother felt at the Indy 500, Donnie took a more diplomatic view.

“Different personalities and different egos,” Allison said of her older brother and Penske Racing. “When Bobby went to Penske, he had his own team, did most of the engine work and engineered the car himself.

“Bobby was just like AJ Foyt; He knew what he wanted, he knew how to get it, and he didn’t want anyone to know what he wanted.

“Bobby and I built race cars exactly like he did. I was winning all the races in that car, but Bobby couldn’t. He wanted to know what was different about my car and his, and I told him ‘the driver’. He asked again and I told him what happened.

“He didn’t like it. I beat him in a big race in Birmingham and told him the same thing. He didn’t like this answer. I did a lot of work for Bobby. Bobby Allison Racing was built by Bobby and Donnie Allison.

Neil Bonnett attempted to race for team owner Warner Hodgdon in the 1979 Indy 500, but rain ruined his chances of qualifying for the race. Bonnett was racing for Wood Brothers and was ready to tackle the World 600. However, when qualifying was disrupted for the NASCAR race at Dover, Bonnett withdrew from the Indy 500 and never had the chance to return.

Bobby and Donnie Allison are the only two members of the “Alabama Gang” to ever race in the Indianapolis 500 and are part of the history and legacy of the race.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Donnie Allison said. “I ran pretty well there.”

Donnie and Bobby watch NTT IndyCar Series races on NBCSN and NBC. While Bobby is more of a stock car fan, Donnie has become a huge advocate for the current IndyCar Series, its stars, and its races.

Bobby Allison remains one of sports’ most tragic figures. He lost both of his sons, including Clifford, in a NASCAR Busch Series crash at Michigan International Speedway on August 13, 1992. Bobby’s son Davey died in a helicopter crash in Talladega on July 13, 1993.

Bobby’s career ended when he suffered a devastating head injury in a crash at Pocono Speedway on June 19, 1988, just a few months after he won his third Daytona 500 with a 1-2 finish with his son Davey.

Bobby Allison can’t remember that glorious moment in his life when father and son finished first and second in the Daytona 500.

“To this day I see reruns of it and it feels like I’m watching a movie,” Bobby admitted. “It’s not me and Davey on the track, it’s a movie.”

Bobby was widowed on December 18, 2015, when he lost his long-time wife, Judy, who was the love of his life.

His connection to the Indianapolis 500 was not a happy one, but there is something from that race that Bobby proudly owns to this day.

“I’m still proud of how well we both represented ourselves, with the speed we ran, the finishes Donnie finished and me running as well as I did,” Bobby Allison said. “23 years to lead this^third Lap of the 1975 Indianapolis 500 – they gave me a little prize for leading that lap. They would give tour leaders a trophy for the tours they led.

“I have that trophy at my house.

“There are a lot of guys who are really good race drivers who don’t have a leading lap trophy at the Indianapolis 500.”