Neil Bonnett
{{NASCAR deceased driver|Name = Neil Bonnett |Birthdate =
July 30,
1946 |Died =
February 11,
1994 |Birthplace =
Bessemer,
Alabama |Cause of Death = Race car crash |Best_Cup_Pos = 4th -
1985 (Winston Cup) |Wins = 18 |Top_Tens = 156 |Poles = 20|First_Race =
1974 Nashville 420 (
Nashville) |First_Win =
1977 Capital City 400 (
Richmond) |Last_Win =
1988 Goodwrench 500 (
Rockingham) |Last_Race =
1993 Hooters 500 (
Atlanta) |Awards = Named one of
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame (1997)
inducted into the
International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2001) |Years_In_Cup = 18|Total_Cup_Races = 362|
Neil Bonnett (
July 30,
1946 -
February 11,
1994) was a
NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20
poles over his 18-year career. The
Hueytown, Alabama native currently ranks
35th in all time NASCAR Cup wins.
Neil Bonnett began his NASCAR career as a protégé of the great Bobby Allison, working on the team's cars. He later became part of the famous "
Alabama Gang" that included himself,
Red Farmer and the Allison family: father
Bobby, brother
Donnie and, later, son
Davey. He began driving in NASCAR in
1974 and earned his first victory in
1977 at the Capital City 400 in
Richmond, Virginia. He later successfully won back-to-back
World 600s (NASCAR's longest race, now the
Coca-Cola 600) and back-to-back
Busch Clash (now
Bud Shootout) victories.
He appeared in the 1983
Burt Reynolds movie
Stroker Ace.
In
1984, Bonnett joined the powerful
Junior Johnson team, becoming a teammate to
Darrell Waltrip. In
1985, Bonnett had one of his best seasons, finishing fourth in the points standings while Waltrip went on to win his third championship.
Bonnett participated in
International Race of Champions (IROC) during three seasons (1979, 1980, and 1984), and finished second twice.
On
April 1,
1990, Neil Bonnett suffered a life-threatening crash during the
TranSouth 500 at
Darlington, South Carolina. Left with
amnesia and dizziness, Bonnett retired from racing and turned to television, becoming a race color commentator for
TNN,
CBS Sports, and
TBS Sports, and hosting the TV show
Winners for TNN.
However, Bonnett still desired to continue racing. In
1992, he began testing cars for good friends
Dale Earnhardt and car owner
Richard Childress. Cleared to race again in
1993 and upon Earnhardt's suggestion, Childress gave Bonnett a ride for the
1993 DieHard 500 at
Talladega Superspeedway. But Bonnett's comeback race was marred by a crash in which his car spun, became airborne, and crashed into the specator fence. Bonnett was uninjured and actually called the rest of the race from the
CBS broadcast booth. He would also start the final race of the
1993 season in
Atlanta, but he dropped out after just three laps because of a blown engine.
Despite the setbacks, Bonnett was encouraged because he had secured a ride and sponsorship for at least six races in the
1994 season with car owner
James Finch, including the season opening
Daytona 500. But on
February 11,
1994, during the first practice session for the
1994 Daytona 500, Bonnett's car suffered a right front tire failure in the track's fourth turn. Bonnett's car hit the outside wall nearly head-on. Bonnett was taken to nearby
Halifax Medical Center, but he had died on impact. He was survived by his wife, Susan, and their two children, son
David Bonnett (had 19
Busch Series starts), and daughter, Kristen. In a tragic twist of irony, Bonnett's close friend
Dale Earnhardt was killed in an almost identical crash in the same location on the same track.
*Bonnett was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame in 1997.
*He was inducted into the
International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001.
*He was named one of
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
See also: List of famous NASCAR drivers.
*
Drivers statistics at racing-reference.info*
Neil Bonnett at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame*
"Official" website
