gettyimages-77627408.jpg
Getty Images

A native son of Alabama and one of the state's greatest racing heroes, NASCAR Hall of Famer Davey Allison has never been forgotten at Talladega Superspeedway. And this weekend, the track that was central to his career and life will honor the 35th anniversary of one of his career milestones with a special ceremony before the green flag.

Talladega Superspeedway announced that the track will honor the 35th anniversary of Davey Allison's first NASCAR Cup Series win in pre-race ceremonies prior to this Sunday's GEICO 500, as Talladega winner and NASCAR on Fox analyst Clint Bowyer will make a lap behind the wheel of the Texaco-Havoline Ford Thunderbird that Allison made famous in the early 1990s. The car, which was driven by Allison in the 1993 Daytona 500, is painted identically to the one that Allison drove to victory in the 1992 Winston 500 at Talladega.

A member of the Alabama Gang and the son of NASCAR legend Bobby Allison, Davey Allison's first Cup Series win came at Talladega in May of 1987, when he led 101 of 178 laps to score the victory in his 14th Cup Series start. Allison would earn three Talladega victories in all, following up his maiden 1987 win with victories in 1989 and 1992.

Allison would go on to become one of NASCAR's most prolific stars of the early 1990s, earning 19 career victories and narrowly missing out on his first championship in 1992. Allison had just entered his prime when his career and life was tragically cut short in July of 1993, when he died after crashing his helicopter attempting to land it in the Talladega infield. Allison, who was 32 at the time of his death, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.

Before Bowyer takes Allison's Thunderbird for its ceremonial lap, fans will get the opportunity to see Allison's car on display on Saturday and Sunday morning in the speedway's Talladega Garage Experience.