 |
 Rarely
does a racer manage to combine aggressive driving and genuine popularity the way
Neil Bonnett did. Neil enjoyed being referred to as "a charger", but
even more than that, he enjoyed the friendship and respect that he was accorded
in every garage or pit area he ever went into.
Neil Bonnett's career began as a Hueytown teenager who was considered a protégé to Bobby Allison, and grew until he was an accepted member of the famed "Alabama Gang" of auto racing. . Bonnett began his move to the big time in 1973 at Daytona, in the Sportsman 300. He ran his first Daytona 500 in 1976, starting 13th and finishing fifth. In 13 Winston Cup races that season, Bonnett had that top-five finish and four more top-ten finishes, winning some $31,000. The 1977 season began a string of 13 consecutive years in which Bonnett would run no fewer than 21 races, with 18 wins, 83 top-five and 156 top-ten finishes. His first Winston Cup victory came in 1977, at the Capital City 400 in Richmond, Virginia. His last was perhaps the most remarkable, when he returned from a devastating crash in 1987 to win two of the first three races of 1988. Bonnett finished fourth in the Daytona 500, then won at Richmond and Rockingham. He also went to Australia and edged Bobby Allison for the checkered flag in the Goodyear 500 K exhibition race in Melbourne. It was a remarkable comeback of a career over following the 1987 crash that eventually led to major hip surgery. Doctors said Bonnett would miss a year, but Neil was back in twelve weeks. Bonnett resumed racing full time in 1989. He raced five times in 1990 before suffering the crash at Darlington, South Carolina, which left him with amnesia and dizziness. At that point Bonnett turned his energies to other activities, from trying to field his own NASCAR team to hosting a television show for TNN called "Winners". Finally, in 1992, Bonnett began testing cars for good friend and fellow NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, which led to a ride in Earnhardt's second car for the 1993 DieHard 500. Neil crashed hard, but escaped injury. However, the bug had bitten again, and Bonnett secured a ride for six races in the 1994 season. A crash at Daytona in the very first practice session claimed his life, and the motorsports world again mourned the loss of one of their favorites. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and two children, David and Kristen. Neil Bonnett, A Member Of The Alabama Gang...and the first Class of Inductees into the Talladega-Texaco Walk Of Fame.
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