DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Just before he turns 87, Bobby Allison got No. 85.

NASCAR on Wednesday announced that it is recognizing Allison as the official winner of the Cup Series Myers Brothers Memorial at Bowman Gray Stadium held on Aug. 6, 1971. The winner of the race had been disputed for more than half a century because of its format.

The NASCAR record books have been updated to reflect Allison in sole possession of fourth place on the all-time Cup Series wins list with 85 wins. Allison, who will be 87 years old in December, had been tied with Darrell Waltrip on the all-time wins list.

“For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner,” Jim France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “As we began preparations for the upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the topic of that Aug. 6, 1971 race returned to the forefront. We felt it was the right thing to officially recognize Bobby’s win and honor him as an 85-time NASCAR Cup Series winner. We are grateful for Bobby’s lifetime contributions to NASCAR.”

On Wednesday, France and Senior Advisor to NASCAR Mike Helton visited with Allison to inform him of the news.

The Myers Brothers Memorial was one of six in the 1971 season that featured a mix of Grand National (Cup Series) cars and smaller Grand American cars.

Allison, who competed in both series at the time, chose to drive his Grand American Ford Mustang and won the race, leading 138 of 200 laps on the quarter-mile track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Despite being presented the trophy in Victory Lane, the win never counted towards Allison’s Cup Series total. Many drivers, including runner-up Richard Petty, protested that the differing classes of cars did not make for a fair race. No winner was ever recognized in NASCAR’s record books.

Only two more combination Grand American events were held that year, with Tiny Lund winning at both Hickory and North Wilkesboro. Those victories that were not labeled with asterisks. The series ceased operations in 1972

The conversation about restoring Allison’s victory gained momentum with this past summer’s release of the 2025 Cup Series schedule, which moved the annual Clash exhibition to Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2. The venue hosted Cup Series events from 1958-71 and continues to operate as NASCAR’s longest-running weekly track.

With Allison’s win total updated to 85, he now only trails fellow NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (200), David Pearson (105) and Jeff Gordon (93).

Allison, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011, is a five-time NASCAR season champion. He won the Cup Series title in 1983, along with several other division championships during a career that spanned from 1961 to 1988.