Judy Allison was the glue that held the 'Alabama Gang' together
My heart was broken when I heard the news Friday of the passing of the sweet Judy Allison, matriarch of the Allison clan, following complications after surgery. Even though we both were from the Birmingham, Alabama, area, I really didn't get to really know her until I started working with her son, Davey Allison.
It just seemed no matter what the Allisons were going through, she was the glue that held them all together.
Her husband, Bobby, had a career-ending wreck at Pocono, her brother-in-law, Donnie, getting hurt in Charlotte. They lost their youngest son, Clifford, in a wreck at Michigan and of course there was Davey getting killed in a helicopter crash in the infield of Talladega Superspeedway.
I don't ever want to sound like I am diluting what all the other wives in our sport have gone through, whether it's Lynda Petty, Kim Burton or Stevie Waltrip. But I don't know if you could ever, ever find a wife who stood behind and supported her racing husband more than Judy Allison.
Let's face it: Bobby Allison did it the hard way, racing all over the country no matter what day of the week it was. He was flying all over the country to support his family, and there she was trying to support him while at the same time raising a family. The person they all leaned on day in and day out was Judy Allison.
