Over 50 years after the event, NASCAR has given driver Bobby Allison the win at Bowman Gray Stadium in 1971.  The win gives the 86 year old Hall of Famer 85 career wins to place him in fourth place on the all time winners list in NASCAR.

Allison was previously tied with fellow Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with 84 wins.

Allison was presented with the trophy and prize money after the Myers Brothers Memorial 250 race but the actual credit for the win was withheld due to some controversy over the circumstances of the race.  Then called the Grand National, the drivers were paired with the then Grand American Series to put both divisions in a single race in order to increase the size of the field.

Bowman Gray is a 5/8ths of a mile short track, prompting some more than usual aggressive driving.

Bowman Gray was the first of the six races that had both divisions – similar to the multiple classes that race in the 24 Hours of Daytona races.  Reports were that the Grand National teams issued threats to the Grand American Series drivers who had smaller cars more suited for the smaller track.

The King himself Richard Petty sat on the pole and led the first 112 laps but handed the lead over to Bobby Allison when Petty had to make a fuel stop.  Allison led the remainder of the 138 laps in the race, never stopping for fuel, and won the race by three seconds over Petty.

The Grand American Series not only showed up for the race, but held eight of the top 10 finishing spots.

But the Grand National drivers cried “foul” and a compromise was made giving Allison the trophy and the money…but not the win.

But NASCAR’s return to Bowman Gray prompted a conversation to allow for an official winner of the Myers Brothers Memorial 250 from 1971.

In his Hall of Fame induction speech, Allison noted,  “I did win 85 times. Scout’s honor, 85 times.”

NASCAR’s Jim France noted via a statement, “for 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner.  As we began preparations for the upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the topic of the race returned to the forefront. We felt it was the right thing to officially recognize Bobby’s win and honor him as an 85-time NASCAR Cup Series winner. We are grateful for Bobby’s lifetime contributions to NASCAR.”