Allison entered the 1983 season at 45 years of age but was far from washed up. If anything, it looked like part of his second prime after he found struggles in the middle portion of his career.

Allison, who became full-time on the Grand National circuit in 1965, is fourth on NASCAR's all-time win list for its premier series. He made 718 career starts, the 14th-most in series history, and ...