Neil Bonnett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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 (born July 30, 1946 – died February 11, 1994) was an American NASCAR driver. He won 18 races and earned 20 pole positions during his 18 years in racing. Neil was part of the famous "Alabama Gang" of racers. He started his career with help from Bobby and Donnie Allison.

He became well-known in the late 1970s. He drove for teams like Wood Brothers Racing and became a top racer in the 1980s. Neil Bonnett is ranked 47th for all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He also appeared in the movies Stroker Ace (1983) and Days of Thunder (1990). From 1991 to 1994, Bonnett hosted the TV show Winners for TNN. He also worked as a TV commentator for CBS, TBS, and TNN.

Neil's racing career was stopped by a serious brain injury from a crash in 1990. He died while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500, a race where he planned to make a big comeback.

Neil Bonnett's NASCAR Career

Neil Bonnett was born in Hueytown, Alabama on July 30, 1946. He started his NASCAR career working on cars for 1983 Winston Cup champion Bobby Allison. Later, he became part of the "Alabama Gang". This group included Neil, Red Farmer, and the Allison family: Bobby, his brother Donnie, and later, Bobby's son Davey.

Neil began driving in NASCAR in 1974. He got his first win in 1977 at the Capital City 400 in Richmond, Virginia. He was driving for Harry Hyde-Jim Stacy Racing. He won again in 1977 at the Los Angeles Times 500. This was the last time a Dodge car won a NASCAR race until 2001.

In 1979, Neil joined Wood Brothers Racing. He took over from David Pearson and started winning again, with three victories. He won the World 600 (NASCAR's longest race, now the Coca-Cola 600) two years in a row, in 1982 and 1983. He also won the Busch Clash twice, in 1983 and 1984.

In 1984, Bonnett joined Junior Johnson's team, racing alongside Darrell Waltrip. In 1985, he had one of his best seasons. He finished fourth in the points standings, while Waltrip won his third championship.

Racing Around the World

Neil Bonnett made history by winning the first NASCAR race ever held outside of North America. This happened in 1988 at the 1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500 in Melbourne, Australia. The race was held at the Calder Park Thunderdome, which was the first NASCAR-style track built outside of North America.

This race was not a Winston Cup event. However, it featured some top NASCAR drivers like Bobby Allison, Michael Waltrip, Dave Marcis, and Kyle Petty. They raced against Australian drivers who were new to NASCAR. Bonnett had just won a race at Richmond International Raceway. He started from the pole position in his Valvoline-sponsored Pontiac Grand Prix.

Neil and Bobby Allison (who had won the Daytona 500 two weeks earlier) were the best drivers that day. They finished first and second in the 500 km (310 mile) race. The temperatures inside the cars were extremely hot, reaching over 57°C (135°F).

Comeback Attempts and Final Race

On April 1, 1990, Neil Bonnett had a very bad crash at Darlington, South Carolina. His car hit Sterling Marlin's car in a big 14-car pile-up. Neil suffered amnesia (memory loss) and dizziness. He stopped racing and started working in television. He became a race commentator for TNN, CBS Sports, and TBS Sports. He also hosted the TV show Winners for TNN.

However, Neil still wanted to race. In 1992, he started testing cars for his friends Dale Earnhardt and car owner Richard Childress. In 1993, doctors said he could race again. Richard Childress gave Neil a car for the DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The car was number 31 and sponsored by GM Goodwrench.

But his comeback race ended with another crash. His car spun, went airborne, and hit the spectator fence. Luckily, he was not hurt. He even called the rest of the race from the CBS broadcast booth. He also started the last race of the 1993 season in Atlanta. He left the race after only three laps. The team said it was a blown engine. However, it was also done to help his teammate, Dale Earnhardt, win the championship. This was Neil Bonnett's last NASCAR Winston Cup Series race.

Neil Bonnett's Passing

Even after these challenges, Neil was hopeful. He had found a team and sponsor for at least five races in the 1994 season. He was going to race for Phoenix Racing, including the famous Daytona 500.

But on February 11, 1994, during practice for the 1994 Daytona 500, a part called a shock mount broke. This made him lose control of his Chevrolet on the fourth turn of the track. The car went onto the apron, then up the steep bank, and crashed almost head-on into the wall. Neil Bonnett did not survive the accident. He was 47 years old.

That same weekend, another racer, Rodney Orr, also died in a practice crash. Because of these accidents, Hoosier, a tire company, immediately pulled out of the race. Years later, NASCAR made new rules about shock mounts and springs. These rules were put in place to make cars safer and prevent similar dangerous crashes.

Neil Bonnett is buried in Forest Grove Memorial Gardens in Pleasant Grove. A road in his hometown is named "Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive" to honor him and Davey Allison, who died seven months before Neil.

When Dale Earnhardt won the 1998 Daytona 500, he dedicated his victory to Neil and other friends. Earnhardt himself died in a racing accident during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Years later, in 2009, when Brad Keselowski won Phoenix Racing's first Sprint Cup race, the team owner dedicated the win to Neil Bonnett. In 2013, Phoenix Racing even designed their No. 51 car to look like Neil Bonnett's 1994 Country Time Chevrolet.

See also

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