It has been several decades since the 70s and yet former NASCAR driver and icon Donnie Allison recently mentioned that he hasn’t forgiven his old rival, the late Cale Yarborough. While speaking in an interview, he recalled the events of the 1979 Daytona 500, where Yarborough wrecked him during the last lap of the Great American Race.
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During the interview, when asked if Allison had forgiven Yarborough for the incident, he stated, “No, he kept me from winning the Daytona 500 really for the third time. I should have won it. I’m sitting in infield wrecked in turn four three-quarter miles from the finish line.”
Speaking further he mentioned how the papers mentioned the next day that they “ganged up” on Yarborough. Allison cleared the allegations saying, “We didn’t gang up on him.”
“He kept me from winning the Daytona 500.”
2024 @NASCARHall inductee Donnie Allison isn’t over how the 1979 Great American Race ended with the late Cale Yarborough. pic.twitter.com/q608ouaiOD
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) January 4, 2024
Allison explained how after the wreck his brother Bobby stopped his car nearby, got out of the car, and grabbed Yarborough, joining the fight. But Allison continued to say that they were not ganging up on the three-time NASCAR champion and that papers had it wrong.
Cale Yarborough passes away on the last of 2023
The last day of 2023 filled the air with grief after news broke regarding the passing of a NASCAR legend; Cale Yarborough. Through his years in the top division of NASCAR, Yarborough left a legacy behind that will be remembered across generations.
The three-time champion achieved all of the titles consecutively between the 1976-78 seasons. During this period he won 28 races and scored 70 top-five finishes, ultimately adding to his 83 Cup Series wins in all.
Aside from his success on the racetrack, the incident that is remembered as his most iconic moment was when he got into a fight with the Allison brothers after wrecking Donnie during the final lap of the Daytona 500. Interestingly, the 79 Daytona 500 was the first race that was broadcasted on live television from start to finish.
Also, a massive number of people had tuned in that day to watch the race since there was a snowstorm in several parts of the country and everybody stayed in.
