Gordon passes, or ties, Allison in record book

Jeff Gordon’s victory Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway was one for the record books, but exactly where it fits in that book remains the subject of great debate.

His AdvoCare 500 win was the 85th of his career. NASCAR’s stat keepers say that gives him sole possession of third place behind Richard Petty, with 200 wins, and David Pearson, with 105.

But Bobby Allison claims the NASCAR records are wrong. He says that he has one more than the 84 NASCAR’s numbers show. With 84, he is tied with his bitter rival Darrell Waltrip on the all-time list.

That race in question was in 1971 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Back in the day when then-series sponsor Winston kept the records, the information distributed to the media each week showed Allison with 85 career victories. Now the record books say otherwise. Allison isn’t buying it, as he explained in an interview last year.

“I won a race in Melvin Joseph’s Mustang at Bowman Gray Stadium [in 1971 in Winston Salem, N.C.],” he said. “Richard Petty ran second that night. For a couple of years it counted, and all of a sudden it came out. I thought they gave the win to Richard Petty, and of course the Pope isn’t going to take a win away from Richard Petty. It’s gone forever.

“I found out later somebody had dropped mine and two of Tiny Lund’s that he won in his Camaro. A few years before Bill France Jr. died they reinstated Tiny’s two wins. Bowman Gray doesn’t have a winner, so that gives me 85.”