This Day in History - February 11th, 1994
Stock Car Racing History
Surprisingly, this post has NOTHING to do with Georgia Racing History. The year was 1994, it was the start of a new season in NASCAR. It had been just over a year since Richard Petty had driven a stock car, and less than a year since the loss of two of the sport's young and rising stars - Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison. Just a few months prior, Dale Earnhardt was crowned with his 6th Winston Cup Championship.... just one more to go
Neil Bonnett, a racing veteran from Hueytown, Alabama, was encouraged by many friends among the racing community to compete again for the 1994 season after a hiatus from full-time driving. In April of 1990, Bonnett, rejoined with Wood Brother's Racing and was involved in a life-threatening accident at Darlington, which left him with amnesia, dizziness. Once recovered, he retired from driving, but not from the sport. Over the next few years, he would become one of the most respected and liked color commentators for the CBS, NBC, and TNN Networks, all at the time carried Winston Cup Racing.
Starting in 1992, Bonnett began testing some of Dale Earnhardt's, a life-long friend, cars. With the urging of Earnhardt, Bonnett decided to give racing another try, driving a sister car to Earnhardt for owner, Richard Childress in the 1993 Diehard 500 at Talladega. Neil's car was #31 and was painted very similar to Earnhardt's, except the #31 was sponsored by "Mom N 
Pop's" and Goodwrench. Early in that race, Stanley Smith had a near fatal head-injury on lap 69 while JImmy Horton's car went over the fence and landed on an access road to the track's infield. Later in the race on lap 132, Bonnett went airborne in the spectator fence (much like Bobby Allison in 1987).
Neil would make one more start for Childress in the #31 in 1993, at the season finale in Atlanta. Earnhardt had to finish atleast 34th or better to clinch the WInston Cup. Neil executed one of the first 'start & park' methods of racing. His #31 had the exact same chassis set-up as the #3. Bonnett would pull off track after completing just three laps so as to help Earnhardt's finishing position, in which he would go on to finish 10th.
After much thought, Neil wanted to get back into racing for the 1994 season. He had secured sponsorship for the first six races of the season, starting with the 1994 edition of the Daytona 500. His car, #51, owned by construction tycoon, James Finch, was painted fluorescent pink and yellow to match his new sponsor, Country Time Lemonade Mix, who after last season, left Bobby Hamilton.
On February 11th, 1994, exactly 20 years to the day I am writing this, Bonnett was killed in a single-car accident at the Daytona International Speedway. During the first round of practice for the Daytona 500, Bonnett lost control of his car in the fourth turn. 
He swerved low to try and make the car land in the grass, but once he hit the apron, or the bottom portion of the track, his car bolted back upwards and impacted head-on into the fourth turn wall. All of this happened within 10 seconds, and going 180+ mph. Two days later, TNN compiled a 30 minute tribute to Neil on the show that he hosted for the last couple of years - "TNN Winner's". The show had interviews from many friends and competitors. The day after the Neil Bonnett special aired and three days after his death, another tragedy occurred at Daytona. 1993 Goody's Dash Series Champion, Rodney Orr, like Bonnett, was making practice laps in a mock qualifying run for the Daytona 500. In turn two, Orr's car spun and lifted up in the air, and flew roof first into the turn two catch fence. Like Bonnett, Orr was killed instantly.
Neil Who? as he was called in his early years left a legacy of being known as one of the industries' greatest play-by-play announcers in addition to being one of the most respected drivers on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit, earning 18 victories and 20 pole positions. His 
first coming in 1977 at Richmond in addition to another at the Ontario Motor Speedway that same year, driving for Harry Hyde and Jim Stacy. It would be the last victory for a Dodge until 2001.
In 1979, following David Pearson's release 
from the Wood Brother's team, Neil was able to secure the legendary #21 car where he held several seasons of success, including the 1982 World 600. In 1983, he drove a single season for the#75 Rah-Moc racing team, earning three victories, in addition to his first of back-to-back Busch Clash wins.
From 1984-86, Neil would become a driver for Junior Johnson and a teammate to Darrell Waltrip. Both cars (#11 & #12) were sponsored by Budweiser/KFC and for 1984, the paint schemes were identical. That, along with the gold foil style numbers on the sides and roof made it very hard to identify if the car was Waltrip's or Bonnett's. One race in particular - the 1984 Coors 420 at Nashville. It was a night race, which allowed for some parts of the track to not be as well-lit as other parts. In the closing laps, it 
was a battle between the two teammates. Going into the third turn, it was Waltrip ahead by a car length, but Bonnett bounced back on the high-side and was side-by-side at the line. With what little footage is available from that race, it is hard to determine which one of Junior Johnson's cars actually won the race. At first both cars circled around the track after the checkered flag to wait until scorers determined who actually won the race. At first, Bonnett and his #12 was awarded the victory. Not long after the trophy presentation, a protest was filed by non-other thanhis own teammate, Darrell Waltrip. After three days, NASCAR ruled that Darrell did infact win the race and the margin of victory was changed to 'finished under caution'. For 1985 & 86', both cars were painted in opposite colors.
After one victory in 1986, Bonnett would leave the Junior Johnson stable to return to 
RahMoc racing, a team who he left to go to Johnson. For 1987 & 1988, Bonnett would pilot the #75 Pontiac, sponsored by Valvoline. While 1987 went winless, he did start off the 88' season strong. While he finished 4th in the season opening Daytona 500, he won back to back races at Richmond and Rockingham, the latter would be his final Winston Cup victory. In the week between the two races, Neil participated in the first NASCAR sponsored event held outside of the United States, at Australia's new Thunderdrome, in Melbourne. Neil, along with about 10 of the Winston Cup drivers competed in an exhibition made up of drivers of all backgrounds. Bonnett earned the pole position with his life-long friend, Bobby Allison (coming off his Daytona 500 win) started and finished 1-2.
For 1989, Neil would yet again go back to a team he had previously driven for - the Wood Brother's famous #21 where he would pilot the car for all of 1989 and 5 races of 90' before his accident at Darlington.
It's kind of funny how his major driving career was like a triangle. He got his big break in 1979 with the Wood Brother's, then RahMoc, Junior Johnson, back to RahMoc, and finally back to the Wood Brother's before stepping down to announcing.
I thought a fitting tribute was in order on the 20 year anniversary of the death of one of racing's most beloved personalities. I would've loved to meet Neil in addition to so many others of his time. It just seems that almost everybody that was associated with the sport of back then had more personality....everyone was down-home and were just regular people. But that makes for another topic later on....
-Cody
updated by @cody-dinsmore: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
