Lawrence Neil Bonnett, later known as Neil Bonnett, later part of the famous “Alabama Gang”, was born on July 30, 1947 in Hueytown, Alabama. During his eighteen year career he ran in 362 races with eighteen wins, 156 top tens and pole positions. His first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in the 1974 Winston Cup Series, Nashville 420 in Nashville and he took his first win in 1977 at the Capital City 400 in Richmond, Virginia while driving for the Harry Hyde team. /Jim Stacy Racing. earning another win in the same year at the Los Angeles Times 500. Spectators expected the following year to be Neil’s year, but due to equipment and team financial issues, many of the cars he raced experienced problems and they had to backing out. 1979 saw him driving for the Woods Brothers Racing team, taking three wins. He won NASCAR’s longest running race, the World 600 in 1982 and 1983 and also the Busch Clash (now Bud Shootout) in 1983 and 1984. He joined Junior Johnson’s team in 1984 and had one of his best seasons in 1985 when he finished fourth in the points classification.

On April 1, 1990, he was in a near-fatal accident in Darlington, South Carolina, during the TranSouth 500. His car hit the water barrels at the pit stop, and Neil suffered broken ribs, a fractured sternum, and amnesia, forcing him to recover and retire from racing. for three years. During this time Neil became a television color commentator (color analyst) with TNN, CBS sports and TBS Sports. A sportscaster is the person who assists the main commentator by completing any time when the game is not in progress. In motorsport coverage, the Color Analyst provides expert analysis and background information such as statistics, strategy, and injury reports. He was also the host of the show “Winners” for TNN. Neil was a very popular television presenter and commentator, but despite this the appeal of the race track was never far away and he began testing cars for his friends Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress in 1992. In 1993 Neil was awarded the He was given the go-ahead to race again and was promised a car for the 1993 Diehard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, but unfortunately his car spun, went airborne and collided with the spectator fence. He was not injured and finished the race in the CBS broadcast booth. He was also driving in the season finale at Atlanta, but it was called off after three laps, supposedly because the engine had blown, but since he was teaming with Dale Earnhardt, the points leader in this season’s championships; it might have been to secure the three points needed for Dale to win the season championship. This was his last start in the championship. Disappointing, but Neil was not deterred because he had secured a car and sponsorship for at least six races in the 1994 season, including the season-opening Daytona 500, but on February 11, 1994, during the first session In practice for the 1994 Dayton 500, his car suffered a right-front tire failure in the fourth turn of the track. His car hits the outside wall almost head on. Neil was taken to the Halifax Medical Center, but it was discovered that he had died at the scene of the accident. He is buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Forest Grove Memorial Gardens. He left behind a widow, Susan, a son, David (also a NASCAR driver), and a grandson, Justin. Neil has been awarded as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, inducted into the National Motoring Press Association Hall of Fame in 1997 and inducted into the International Motoring Hall of Fame in 2001. A road named “Allison -Bonnett Memorial Drive” in his hometown is honored by him, along with fellow driver Davey Allison, who died in 1993.

Neil also raced in the International NASCAR Racing Champions during 1979, 1980 and 1984 finishing second twice. Neil’s career has also spanned film and television as he appeared in the TV movies Bandit; Bandit Goes Country and Daytona 500 and big screen cinema at Stoker Ace and Days of Thunder. Neil was considered one of the most likable and popular drivers in NASCAR history.