Neil Bonnett

Neil Bonnett
Bonnett in 1985
Born	(1946-07-30)July 30, 1946 Hueytown, Alabama, U.S.
Died	February 11, 1994(1994-02-11) (aged 47) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Autoracing accident during practice for the 1994 Daytona 500
Achievements	1981 Southern 500 Winner 1982, 1983 World 600 Winner 1979 Firecracker 400 Winner 1983,1984 Busch Clash Winner Winner of the first ever NASCAR race run outside of North America, the Goodyear NASCAR 500 held in Australia (1988)
Awards	National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1997) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2001) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2012) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
362 races run over 18 years
Best finish	4th (1985)
First race	1974 Winston 500 (Talladega)
Last race	1993 Hooters 500 (Atlanta)
First win	1977 Capital City 400 (Richmond)
Last win	1988 Goodwrench 500 (Rockingham)
Wins Top tens Poles 18 156 20
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
13 races run over 6 years
Best finish	29th (1983)
First race	1983 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last race	1993 Slick 50 300 (Atlanta)
First win	1983 Darlington 250 (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 7 0
Statistics current as of June 14, 2015.

Neil Bonnett's 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar.

Lawrence Neil Bonnett (July 30, 1946 – February 11, 1994) was an American NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. Bonnett was a member of the Alabama Gang, and started his career with the help of Bobby and Donnie Allison. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s with his performances in cars owned by Jim Stacy and Wood Brothers Racing, becoming one of the top competitors in the 1980s. The Alabama native currently ranks 47th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Bonnett hosted the TV show Winners for TNN from 1991 to 1994. He was a color commentator for CBS, TBS, and TNN in the years until his death. Bonnett's driving career was interrupted by a severe brain injury from a crash in 1990. He was killed while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500 for a much-anticipated comeback.

NASCAR career

Bonnett was born in the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown, Alabama on July 30, 1946. Bonnett began his NASCAR career as a protégé of 1983 Winston Cup champion Bobby Allison, working on the team's cars. He later became part of the famous "Alabama Gang" that included himself, Red Farmer and the Allison family: father Bobby, brother Donnie and, later, son Davey. He began driving in NASCAR in 1974 and earned his first victory in 1977 at the Capital City 400 in Richmond, Virginia driving for Harry Hyde-Jim Stacy Racing, which had bought out the K&K Insurance team that he had previously driven for. He had another victory in 1977 at the Los Angeles Times 500, which would be the last Dodge win in NASCAR until 2001. Many in racing circles thought 1978 would be his year to dominate, but troubles with his cars (the new for '78 Dodge Magnum) and financial problems between Hyde and Stacy caused his cars to fail and to drop out of many races. In addition, Bonnett had grown tired of Stacy's dictatorial management style and tendency to miss payments, which led to Hyde suing Stacy for unpaid bills. In 1979 he signed with Wood Brothers Racing to replaced David Pearson and revived his career with three victories. He later won back-to-back World 600s (NASCAR's longest race, now the Coca-Cola 600) in 1982 and 1983 and back-to-back Busch Clash victories in 1983 and '84, including his first in which he did not win a single pole from the previous season, but was selected as a wild card entry.

In 1984, Bonnett joined Junior Johnson's team, becoming a teammate to Darrell Waltrip. In 1985, he had one of his best seasons, finishing fourth in the points standings while Waltrip went on to win his third championship.

Bonnett participated in International Race of Champions (IROC) during three seasons (1979, 1980, and 1984), and finished second twice.

Bonnett holds the distinction of being the winner of the first ever NASCAR race held outside of North America when he won the 1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500 at the Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne, Australia (at the time the newly opened Thunderdome was also the first NASCAR style speedway to be built outside of North America). The race, run two weeks after the Daytona 500, was not a Winston Cup race but featured some drivers from the series including fellow Alabama Gang member Bobby Allison, Michael Waltrip, Dave Marcis and Kyle Petty who were up against Australian drivers somewhat new to NASCAR racing. Bonnett, who had won the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway the previous weekend, started from the pole driving his Valvoline sponsored Pontiac Grand Prix. He and Allison (who had won the Daytona 500 two weeks previous), driving a Buick LeSabre, dominated the crash marred, 280 lap 500 km (310 mile) race finishing first and second ahead of Dave Marcis on a day when cabin temperatures were reported to reach over 57°C (135°F) as the race was held during Australia's notoriously hot summer.

On April 1, 1990, Bonnett suffered a life-threatening crash during the TranSouth 500 at Darlington, South Carolina, when his car slammed into Sterling Marlin's car during a 14-car crash on lap 212. He was left with amnesia and dizziness and retired from racing and turned to television, becoming a race color commentator for TNN, CBS Sports, and TBS Sports, and hosting the TV show Winners for TNN.

However, Bonnett still desired to continue racing. In 1992, he began testing cars for good friends Dale Earnhardt and car owner Richard Childress. Cleared to race again in 1993 and upon Earnhardt's suggestion, Childress gave Bonnett a ride for the 1993 DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway which was numbered 31 and sponsored by GM Goodwrench. But his comeback race was marred by a crash in which his car spun, became airborne, and crashed into the spectator fence. He was uninjured and called the rest of the race from the CBS broadcast booth after being cleared at the infield care center. He would also start the final race of the 1993 season in Atlanta, but he dropped out after just three laps. The reason the team gave for removing the car from the race was a blown engine; however, he was teamed with points leader Earnhardt, and the car was retired to assist Earnhardt in winning the season's championship. Earnhardt needed to maximize his finishing position, and by Bonnett quitting the race he was assured of those three championship points. This would become Bonnett's final NASCAR Winston Cup Series start.

Death

Despite the setbacks, Bonnett was encouraged because he had secured a ride and sponsorship for at least five races in the 1994 season with car owner James Finch, including the season-opening race, the Daytona 500, for Phoenix Racing. But on February 11, 1994, during the first practice session for the 1994 Daytona 500, a shock mount broke, causing him to lose control of his Chevrolet on the track's high-banked fourth turn. The car swerved onto the track apron, and then up the steep bank, before crashing into the wall nearly head-on. Bonnett did not survive the accident; he was 47 years old.

That weekend, another racing death occurred, as 1993 Goody's Dash (four-cylinder) champion Rodney Orr was also killed in a racing crash during the practices surrounding the first weekend. In the middle of the second Goodyear-Hoosier tire war, Hoosier withdrew from the race immediately. Five years later, the broken shock mounts became an issue again in NASCAR, as cars bottoming out were evident during the first night race at Daytona in 1998. By 2000, NASCAR imposed a new rule where the sanctioning body built the shocks and had mandatory specification springs for the cars to prevent this tactic, to stop the dangerous tactics being used to reduce drag that led to the fatal crashes.

Bonnett is buried in Pleasant Grove's cemetery, Forest Grove Memorial Gardens. A road called "Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive" in his hometown honors him, along with fellow native Davey Allison, who died seven months earlier.

When Earnhardt, Bonnett's colleague, won the 1998 Daytona 500, he dedicated the victory to Bonnett among others.

Earnhardt himself died in a racing accident during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. About three weeks after the accident, magazine photographers released photographs of Bonnett's autopsy, as well as those of another driver who died a few days later, Rodney Orr, to the public, which led to a lawsuit.

When Brad Keselowski scored Phoenix Racing's first Sprint Cup win 15 years later in the 2009 Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, Finch dedicated the win to Bonnett. During the 2013 season, Finch designed the No. 51 car's paint scheme in the Cup and Nationwide Series like Bonnett's 1994 Country Time Chevrolet that he drove shortly before his death.

In popular culture

Bonnett was portrayed by the actor Sean Bridgers in the TV movie 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	NWCC	Pts	Ref
1973	K&K Insurance Racing	1	Dodge	RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL DNQ	NSV	CLT	DOV	TWS	RSD	MCH	DAY	BRI	ATL	TAL	NSV	DAR	RCH	DOV	NWS	MAR	CLT	CAR				NA	-
1974	Roberts Racing	77	Chevy	RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL 45	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH	DAY	BRI	NSV	ATL	POC												87th	3.52
	Bobby Allison Motorsports	1	Chevy																					TAL 39	MCH	DAR	RCH	DOV	NWS	MAR	CLT	CAR	ONT
1975		12		RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV 14	POC	TAL 35	MCH	DAR	DOV	NWS	MAR	CLT	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	ONT		NA	0
1976	Bonnett Racing			RSD	DAY 5	CAR	RCH	BRI	ATL 8	NWS	DAR 30	MAR 19	TAL 39	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD 29	MCH	DAY 33			TAL 38	MCH 6	BRI	DAR 24	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS 28	CLT 35	CAR	ATL 8	ONT		32nd	1130
	Penske Racing	2	Mercury																	NSV QL†	POC
1977	K&K Insurance Racing	71	Dodge	RSD 17	DAY 37	RCH 7	CAR 5	ATL 12	NWS 21	DAR 33	BRI 4	MAR 12	TAL 29	NSV	DOV	CLT 7	RSD	MCH																	18th	2649
	Jim Stacy Racing	5	Dodge																DAY 8	NSV 21	POC	TAL 25	MCH	BRI 17	DAR	RCH 1*	DOV 17	MAR 22	NWS 3	CLT 8	CAR 28	ATL 38	ONT 1*
1978				RSD 4	DAY 27	RCH 9	CAR 6	ATL 33	BRI 26	DAR 32	NWS 24	MAR 2		DOV 5		NSV 5	RSD 10	MCH 36																	12th	3129
			Olds										TAL 39		CLT 35								MCH 9
	Osterlund Racing		Chevy																DAY 23	NSV 28	POC 36	TAL 8		BRI 20	DAR 34	RCH 3*		MAR 4	NWS 5	CLT 30	CAR 31	ATL 34	ONT 37
			Olds																								DOV 29
1979	Jim Stacy Racing		Chevy	RSD 34																															26th	2223
			Olds		DAY 32
	Ellington Racing					CAR 33	RCH	ATL	NWS	BRI
	Kennie Childers Racing	12	Olds								DAR 13
	Wood Brothers Racing	21	Mercury									MAR 25	TAL 17*	NSV	DOV 1	CLT 25	TWS	RSD 28	MCH 4	DAY 1*	NSV	POC 8	TAL 34	MCH 33	BRI	DAR 32	RCH	DOV 21	MAR 18	CLT 31	NWS	CAR 29	ATL 1	ONT 6
1980				RSD 34	DAY 3	RCH	CAR 6	ATL 41	BRI	DAR 36	NWS	MAR 6	TAL 27	NSV	DOV 18	CLT 5	TWS	RSD 2	MCH 4	DAY 34	NSV	POC 1*	TAL 1	MCH 2	BRI	DAR 5	RCH	DOV 6	NWS	MAR 19	CLT 30	CAR 25	ATL 2	ONT 2	19th	2865
1981			Ford	RSD 27	DAY 33	RCH	CAR 4	ATL 28	BRI	NWS	DAR 29	MAR 2	TAL 32	NSV	DOV 13*	CLT 29	TWS	RSD 4	MCH 9	DAY 30	NSV	POC 34	TAL 37	MCH 28	BRI	DAR 1*	RCH	DOV 1*	MAR 4	NWS	CLT 29*	CAR 35	ATL 1*	RSD 33	22nd	2449
1982				DAY 25	RCH 7		ATL 27	CAR 19	DAR 24		MAR 3	TAL 19		DOV 19	CLT 1	POC	RSD 5	MCH 11	DAY 32	NSV	POC	TAL 16	MCH 9	BRI	DAR 34	RCH 5	DOV 21	NWS	CLT 28	MAR 22	CAR 3	ATL 11	RSD 4		17th	2966
	Rogers Racing	37	Buick			BRI 22				NWS 10			NSV 5
1983	RahMoc Enterprises	75	Chevy	DAY 22	RCH 3	CAR 12	ATL 2	DAR 7	NWS 4	MAR 16	TAL 15	NSV 13	DOV 28	BRI 4	CLT 1	RSD 13	POC 7	MCH 31	DAY 28	NSV 6	POC 4	TAL 35	MCH 35	BRI 10	DAR 4	RCH 8	DOV 7	MAR 6	NWS 13	CLT 26	CAR 4	ATL 1	RSD 3		6th	3842
1984	Junior Johnson & Associates	12	Chevy	DAY 4	RCH 5	CAR 28	ATL 33	BRI 11	NWS 9	DAR 10	MAR 5	TAL 23	NSV 2*	DOV 15	CLT 12	RSD 2	POC 14	MCH 17	DAY 9	NSV 10	POC 19	TAL 19	MCH 13	BRI 23	DAR 30	RCH 7	DOV 6	MAR 5	CLT 16	NWS 4	CAR 33	ATL 21	RSD 6		8th	3802
1985				DAY 10	RCH 23	CAR 1	ATL 3	BRI 19	DAR 6	NWS 1*	MAR 5	TAL 26	DOV 8	CLT 15	RSD 27	POC 5	MCH 8	DAY 12	POC 2*	TAL 2	MCH 11	BRI 3	DAR 4	RCH 9	DOV 5	MAR 9	NWS 10	CLT 42	CAR 15	ATL 12	RSD 3				4th	3902
1986				DAY 32	RCH 7	CAR 9	ATL 34	BRI 30	DAR 4	NWS 11	MAR 26	TAL 40	DOV 28	CLT 13	RSD 8	POC 23	MCH 25	DAY 11	POC 31	TAL	GLN 5	MCH 34	BRI 11	DAR 24	RCH 5	DOV 2	MAR 8	NWS 12	CLT 3	CAR 1	ATL 6	RSD 9			13th	3369
1987	RahMoc Enterprises	75	Pontiac	DAY 12	CAR 3	RCH 22	ATL 7	DAR 6	NWS 3	BRI 11	MAR 9	TAL 7	CLT 13	DOV 9	POC 8	RSD 3	MCH 17	DAY 18	POC 7	TAL 32	GLN 37	MCH 9	BRI 10	DAR 32	RCH 10	DOV 3	MAR 4	NWS 11	CLT 36	CAR	RSD	ATL			12th	3352
1988				DAY 4	RCH 1	CAR 1*	ATL 22	DAR 19	BRI 11	NWS 19	MAR 30	TAL 14	CLT 36	DOV 35	RSD 10	POC 11	MCH 19	DAY 18	POC	TAL	GLN 38	MCH 40	BRI 14	DAR 16	RCH 9	DOV 8	MAR 19	CLT 18	NWS 28	CAR 10	PHO 21	ATL 13			16th	3040
1989	Wood Brothers Racing	21	Ford	DAY 42	CAR 14	ATL 7	RCH 21	DAR 39	BRI 12	NWS 13	MAR 10	TAL 9	CLT 7	DOV 7	SON 11	POC 8	MCH 24	DAY 21	POC 23	TAL 10	GLN 36	MCH 15	BRI 9	DAR 15	RCH 7	DOV 26	MAR	CLT	NWS	CAR 6	PHO 34	ATL 9			20th	2995
1990				DAY 11	RCH 25	CAR 36	ATL 18	DAR 30	BRI	NWS	MAR	TAL	CLT	DOV	SON	POC	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	PHO	ATL			43rd	455
1993	Richard Childress Racing	31	Chevy	DAY	CAR	RCH	ATL	DAR	BRI	NWS	MAR	TAL	SON	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	DAY	NHA	POC	TAL 34	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	PHO	ATL 42		67th	98
1994	Phoenix Racing	51	Chevy	DAY Wth‡	CAR	RCH	ATL	DAR	BRI	NWS	MAR	TAL	SON	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	DAY	NHA	POC	TAL	IND	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	PHO	ATL	NA	-
† - Qualified for Bobby Allison · ‡ - Fatal accident

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
1976	Bonnett Racing	Chevrolet	13	5
1977	K&K Insurance Racing	Dodge	11	37
1978	Jim Stacy Racing	Dodge	12	27
1979		Oldsmobile	20	32
1980	Wood Brothers Racing	Mercury	3	3
1981		Ford	3	33
1982			14	25
1983	RahMoc Enterprises	Chevrolet	4	22
1984	Junior Johnson & Associates	Chevrolet	7	4
1985			19	10
1986			12	32
1987	RahMoc Enterprises	Pontiac	15	12
1988			14	4
1989	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	38	42
1990			31	11
1994	Phoenix Racing	Chevrolet	Wth†
† - He died during practice before season started

Busch Series

NASCAR Busch Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	NBSC	Pts	Ref
1983	Butch Mock Motorsports	75	Pontiac	DAY 3	RCH	CAR 6	HCY	MAR	NWS	SBO	GPS	LGY	DOV	BRI	CLT 2	SBO	HCY	ROU	SBO	ROU	CRW	ROU	SBO	HCY	LGY	IRP	GPS	BRI	HCY	DAR 1*	RCH	NWS	SBO	MAR	ROU	CLT 5	HCY	MAR	29th	820
1984		89	Olds	DAY 22	RCH	CAR	HCY	MAR	DAR	ROU	NSV	LGY	MLW	DOV	CLT	SBO	HCY	ROU	SBO	ROU	HCY	IRP	LGY	SBO	BRI	DAR	RCH	NWS	CLT	HCY	CAR	MAR							87th	97
1985	Darrell Waltrip Motorsports	17	Chevy	DAY	CAR	HCY	BRI	MAR	DAR	SBO	LGY	DOV	CLT 2	SBO	HCY	ROU	IRP	SBO	LGY	HCY	MLW	BRI	DAR	RCH	NWS	ROU	CLT	HCY	CAR	MAR									66th	170
1987	RahMoc Enterprises	51	Pontiac	DAY 35	HCY	MAR	DAR	BRI	LGY	SBO	CLT	DOV	IRP	ROU	JFC	OXF	SBO	HCY	RAL	LGY	ROU	BRI	JFC	DAR 4	RCH	DOV	MAR	CLT 26	CAR	MAR									45th	303
1988				DAY 41	HCY	CAR	MAR	DAR	BRI	LNG	NZH	SBO	NSV	CLT	DOV	ROU	LAN	LVL	MYB	OXF	SBO	HCY	LNG	IRP	ROU	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR									71st	164
	Bobby Allison Motorsports	12	Buick																												CLT 13	CAR	MAR
1993	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	3	Chevy	DAY	CAR	RCH	DAR	BRI	HCY	ROU	MAR	NZH	CLT	DOV	MYB	GLN	MLW	TAL	IRP	MCH	NHA	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	ROU	CLT	MAR	CAR	HCY	ATL 35								106th	58

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

International Race of Champions results
Year	Make	Q1	Q2	Q3	1	2	3	4	Pos.	Pts	Ref
1978–79	Chevy	MCH 4	MCH	RSD	RSD 7	ATL 1			2nd	NA
1979–80		MCH 1	MCH	RSD	RSD 7	ATL 7			7th	20
1984	Chevy				MCH 1	CLE 6	TAL 11	MCH 1	2nd	55

See also

• List of famous NASCAR drivers
• List of NASCAR fatal accidents

External links

• Neil Bonnett at Find a Grave
• Neil Bonnett driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Neil Bonnett at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
• Video of Bonnett's fatal wreck on YouTube