Racing was in Davey Allison’s blood. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Bobby, a three-time winner of the Daytona 500. And Davey demonstrated the competitive drive and grit that he had witnessed while growing up.

In one of Davey’s most memorable driving experiences, at the Pocono Miller 500 in August 1992, after his car flipped over 11 times, the battered and bruised Allison continued driving his Texaco/Havoline Thunderbird long enough to keep the Robert Yates team in the lead in Winston Cup points. A week later, he was back on the track for the Die Hard 500 in his hometown of Talladega, Ala., wearing a specially built cast on the arm that he had injured during the Pocono race.

Almost 20 years earlier, at age 12, Davey’s first job involved sweeping floors at his father’s auto shop, Bobby Allison Racing in Hollywood, Fla., for 50 cents an hour. He was 18 when he built his first stock car, based on a 1967 Chevrolet Nova.

In 1979, Davey started his first race -- finishing fifth in the 20-lap Limited Sportsman feature, and won his first race -- at Birmingham, Ala., with his father coaching from the pits. Four years later, he earned his first super speedway pole and victory in the Automotive Racing Club of America (ARCA) in Talladega and in 1984, was named ARCA Rookie of the Year.

In 1987, when Texaco/Havoline entered NASCAR Winston Cup racing on a limited schedule, Davey was hired to drive the Ranier/Lundy Racing Texaco/Havoline Ford Thunderbird. He quickly showed his mettle, becoming the first rookie to win two Winston Cup races in his first season. Those victories, at Talladega and Dover, Del., helped to earn him Rookie of the Year honors.

A year later, when Robert Yates purchased the team from Harry Ranier, Davey stayed on as driver. After two Winston Cup wins in 1990, the following year Davey had a banner season, opening the circuit with back-to-back poles, winning five Winston Cup races and finishing third in Winston Cup points. In 1992, he won the Daytona 500 and five additional races, including the Winston Select, for the second consecutive year.

That year, Racer magazine wrote that “Davey Allison stands on the edge of stock car racing legend.” His 1993 record confirmed that billing, as he scored his first NASCAR victory in the third race of the season at Richmond and capped his year by winning the International Race of Champions (IROC) Series Championship.

After nine top-10 finishes in 1993, Davey Allison was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in July of that year. Colleagues, family and fans were stunned. Texaco/Havoline summed up the public sense of loss with a tribute to Davey, describing him as “one of the most competitive and successful drivers in the history of motor sports. And one of the finest young men we have ever met.”

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