The NASCAR world lost one of its legends Saturday when
Bobby Allison died at the age of 86.

NASCAR released a statement from Allison’s family that
said he died at home in Mooresville, North Carolina.

A cause of death wasn’t given, but Allison had been in
declining health for years.

“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” an irreverent
comedy based in the outlandish (fictionalized) world of
American stock car racing, premiered in movie theaters
around the United States on August 4, 2006.

American Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) stands up to his Gallic
rival Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen).

     
    
    
    
    
   
On April 20, 2008, then a 26-year-old Danica Patrick (42) won 
the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan,
making her the first female winner in IndyCar racing history.

NASCAR

SPRINT CUP

A beloved figure in the NASCAR broadcasting world has
died. 

Andrew Lorenz, a former driver turned media figure,
passed away following an illness.

Lorenz, who played an important role behind the scenes
in the NASCAR world, had been dealing with heart issues
and was hospitalized for 10 days and under Hospice care
for 12 days.

On February 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car
Racing—or NASCAR, as it came to be widely known—was
officially incorporated. NASCAR racing went on to become
one of America’s most popular spectator sports, as well as
a multi-billion-dollar industry.

The driving force behind the establishment of NASCAR was
William “Bill” France Sr. (1909-1992), a mechanic and auto-
repair shop owner from Washington, D.C., who in the mid-
1930s moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to escape the Great
Depression .

Bill France as a racer.

After a short racing career, Bill France realized that
organizing races is business for him.

Bill France on the construction site of the Daytona
International Speedway.