NASCAR Names Clash Trophy After Hall Of Famer Allison

The Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winner of the Cook Out Clash. (NASCAR photo)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Perhaps it’s only fitting that the trophy for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is named after one of the quarter-mile track’s most talked-about figures.

Announced Saturday morning by NASCAR and track officials, the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winner of the Clash, in honor of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer and multi-time winner at ‘The Madhouse’.

Allison, the 1983 NASCAR Cup Series champion, compiled a legendary list of accomplishments that includes three Daytona 500 wins, back-to-back NASCAR Modified Division championships in 1964 and ’65, a pair of NASCAR Modified Special Division titles in 1962 and ’63, and two BGS Cup Series wins.

It’s Allison’s second Cup Series victory at Bowman Gray – the 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial 250 – that always sparked a conversation. For decades, the race was a disputed finish due to the circumstances of the race and the size of the car Allison drove.

Not until Oct. 23, 2024, did NASCAR finally officially recognize Allison’s victory in that event and award him the 85th Cup Series win of his career, placing him fourth on the all-time premier series wins list.

Allison passed away a month later, but not before his place in Bowman Gray’s deep history was cemented. Now, that legacy is further extended with this year’s Clash trophy being named in his honor.

“Few drivers are as engrained in the history of Bowman Gray Stadium than the legendary Bobby Allison,” said Justin Swilling, NASCAR’s Project Manager for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. “We reached out to Wood Brothers Racing, who shared photos of previous NASCAR Cup Series trophies awarded to Bowman Gray Stadium winners, and Jostens designed a trophy that lived up to that legacy.

“When the Wood Brothers suggested we name the trophy after such a legendary figure in Bowman Gray Stadium history as Bobby Allison, it made perfect sense.”

Jostens, the United States’ leading memorabilia manufacturer which produces NASCAR’s championship and Daytona 500 winners’ rings among its jeweling products, designed the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy.

Standing 31 inches tall, the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy is made of handcrafted wood with a rich, black finish and black powder-coated metal cup. The custom gold metal columns accent a 24-karat gold, hand-polished car and the Cook Out Clash logo, cut by a 600-watt laser.

Jostens also designed the Cook Out Madhouse Classic Trophy, which is a 25-inch tall masterpiece of handcrafted wood and laser-cut aluminum that will be awarded to the winner of the 125-lap Stadium Modified race accompanying this year’s Cook Out Clash.

Broadcast coverage of the Cook Out Clash from Bowman Gray Stadium is slated for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on FS1 for qualifying and heat races, and Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on FOX for the last chance qualifier and 200-lap main event.

All of the on-track action at Bowman Gray will also be carried on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.