Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 28, 1993 TAG: 9308280136
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bob Zeller
DATELINE: BRISTOL, TENN. LENGTH: Medium
He talked with reporters for about 10 minutes in the infield media room at Bristol International Raceway. In this same room one year ago, Allison first met the media after the death of his youngest son, Clifford, in a racing practice accident in Brooklyn, Mich., on Aug. 13.
Remarkably composed but still aching and fragile from the loss of both sons in less than a year, Allison said he was going to try to stay involved with his race team.
"But once in awhile I'll have a problem being around people, and then have a problem not being around people," he said. "I've gone by the shop in Charlotte twice. I can go in there and check in with the guys and maybe even look at some of the equipment, but then I just feel like I need to be, you know, somewhere else or something."
"I felt like I had come [back] pretty good from [Clifford's death]. This certainly hurts every bit as bad, and the same time I know that life must go on."
Bobby's wife, Judy, was going to come here, too, but decided to stay home in Alabama.
"Judy wanted to come. She's had a tougher time with this than I have, so she didn't come," he said. "The family has just had some tough times that have been really hard to struggle through, but we're trying to do that."
After Davey's death, which came a day after he crashed his helicopter while landing at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, "Judy and I got in the motor home and did just a two-week ride, really," Allison said. "Until the last couple of days, it was better for me to be on the road riding - pass some time."
Allison said the reality that he might lose another son hit him almost immediately after the accident.
"It was . . . it was totally real," he said. "Davey lived for several hours after the accident, but pretty early on I began to worry that it was a non-survivable accident. I desperately wish that it had not happened, but I feel like I'm beyond going through the stage of wishing or thinking that it wasn't real."
"I felt like early on I needed to get back to the race track," he said. "And I looked at going even to Pocono [for a Winston Cup event the day after Davey's funeral] and the idea of maybe going to Michigan [on Aug. 15]. I kept saying that I needed to go to the next event. And then time passed and I didn't go, and then this was the next event."
\ SLOW 'EM DOWN: NASCAR expects to have more definite word about its plans for an expanded restrictor-plate program late next week, spokesman Chip Williams said Friday afternoon.
The sanctioning body is considering adding the plates for races at Charlotte, Atlanta and Michigan, beginning with the Oct. 10 Mello Yello 500 at Charlotte.
"We're also looking at some possible aerodynamic changes for the cars that could take the place of restrictor plates," Williams said.
The intent is to slow the cars at the three tracks, which are the fastest in the NASCAR Winston Cup series after Daytona and Talladega.
by CNB