(
July 30 ,
1946 -
February 11 ,
1994 ) was a
NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20
Poles over his 18-year career. The
Hueytown, Alabama native currently ranks
35th in all time NASCAR Cup wins.
Neil Bonnett began his NASCAR career as a protégé of the great , brother
Donnie and, later, son
Davey . He began driving in NASCAR in
1974 and earned his first victory in
1977 at the Capital City 400 in
Richmond, Virginia . He later successfully won back-to-back
World 600 s (NASCAR's longest race, now the
Coca-Cola 600 ) and back-to-back
Busch Clash (now
Bud Shootout ) victories.
He appeared in the 1983
Burt Reynolds movie
Stroker Ace . He also appeared in the film Days of Thunder. Also his no.12
Budweiser Chevy is in a flashback.
In
1984 , Bonnett joined the powerful
Junior Johnson team, becoming a teammate to
Darrell Waltrip . In
1985 , Bonnett had one of his best seasons, finishing fourth in the points standings while Waltrip went on to win his third championship.
Bonnett participated in
International Race Of Champions (IROC) during three seasons (1979, 1980, and 1984), and finished second twice.
On
April 1 ,
1990 , Neil Bonnett suffered a life-threatening crash during the
TranSouth 500 at
Darlington, South Carolina . Left with
Amnesia and dizziness, Bonnett retired from racing and turned to television, becoming a race color commentator for
TNN ,
CBS Sports , and
TBS Sports , and hosting the TV show ''Winners'' for TNN.
However, Bonnett still desired to continue racing. In
1992 , he began testing cars for good friends
Dale Earnhardt and car owner
Richard Childress . Cleared to race again in
1993 and upon Earnhardt's suggestion, Childress gave Bonnett a ride for the
1993 DieHard 500 at
Talladega Superspeedway . But Bonnett's comeback race was marred by a crash in which his car spun, became airborne, and crashed into the specator fence. Bonnett was uninjured and actually called the rest of the race from the
CBS broadcast booth. He would also start the final race of the
1993 season in
Atlanta , but he dropped out after just three laps. The reason the team gave for removing the car from the race was a blown engine, however Bonnett was teamed with points leader Dale Earnhardt, and the car was retired to assist Earnhardt in winning the season's championship. Earnhardt needed to maximize his finishing position, and by Bonnett quitting the race he was assured of those three championship points.
Despite the setbacks, Bonnett was encouraged because he had secured a ride and sponsorship for at least six races in the
1994 season with car owner
James Finch , including the season opening
Daytona 500 . But on
February 11 ,
1994 , during the first practice session for the
1994 Daytona 500 , Bonnett's car suffered a right front tire failure in the track's fourth turn. Bonnett's car hit the outside wall nearly head-on. Bonnett was taken to nearby
Halifax Medical Center , but he had died on impact. He was survived by his wife, Susan, and their two children, son
David Bonnett (had 19
Busch Series starts), and daughter, Kristen. In a tragic twist, Bonnett's close friend
Dale Earnhardt would be killed in an almost identical crash in the same location on the same track a little over seven years later.
''See also:''
List Of Famous NASCAR Drivers .
