Joey Gase to pay tribute to Davey Allison in his No. 28 at Talladega Superspeedway

Robbie Allison speaks as Davey Allison is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during the 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images.
Robbie Allison speaks as Davey Allison is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during the 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images.

Hall of Fame driver Davey Allison will be honored when NASCAR visits Talladega Superspeedway at the end of April. Allison’s iconic No. 28 with a red and white star on the hood will be back on track for the Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 on Sat. Apr. 24, and the Cup Series Geico 500 the next day. Joey Gase will be behind the wheel of the RegisterMe.org/28 Ford for both events.

Davey Allison tribute car. Graphic provided by Rick Ware Racing.
Davey Allison tribute car. Graphic provided by Rick Ware Racing.

Long-time NASCAR fans will remember Davey Allison driving the Texaco-Havoline Ford for Robert Yates Racing in the Winston Cup Series. Tragically killed in a 1993 helicopter crash at the age of 32, Allison’s organs helped four recipients live over 46 years, cumulatively. April is National Donate Life Month, an opportunity to encourage people to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors and honor those who saved lives through the gift of donation, like Davey Allison.

Davey Allison was a great man, husband, father, and tremendously gifted driver

In a press release, Gase said:

“When Davey passed, his family knew if he could no longer continue his life, he would want to do whatever he could to help others continue theirs. I want to show he was a hero both during his lifetime and after. As some know, my mom was an organ donor as well. It has become a mission of mine these last 10 years to keep her legacy alive by honoring donors and donor families and to help raise awareness for organ donation. There are currently over 110,000 people on the wait list nationwide for organ transplants. When I found out Davey was a donor, I thought it would be incredibly special to be able to honor him and his family at Talladega. It will be 28 years in July since Davey passed away.”

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Davey Allison was born in Birmingham, Alabama and his first Cup victory came at his home track in the 1987 Winston 500. Gase’s No. 28 will look nearly identical to the car he drove.

"I am very honored and proud for Davey to be remembered in this way, especially at our home track,” said Allison’s widow, Liz.

“Davey loved racing at Talladega and always loved to hear the fans cheering for him, as the hometown favorite. Having Joey bring back the 28 and Davey's 1993 Paint scheme will be special for so many of us. Davey would want the focus to be on Donor Awareness. A big part of Davey's legacy is being a Donor Hero. We will be cheering Joey on and hoping to see that 28 and those familiar colors in Victory Lane one more time."

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Edited by Utathya Ghosh