A TUMS “Fights back fast”MOMENT
(For each of the 36 races during the 2011 Sprint Cup season, TUMS will provide a brief historical recap of a moment when a team fought back to overcome an obstacle, one that can easily be described as a TUMS “Fights Back Fast” Moment. This week, the focus is on Talladega Superspeedway).
DONNIE ALLISON WINS AT TALLDEGA WITH HELP FROM DARRELL WALTRIP
The date was Aug. 7, 1977. In the closing laps of the Talladega 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (known as Alabama International Motor Speedway at that time), car owner Hoss Ellington was forced to make a decision in quest of victory on the high-banked, 2.66-mile track.
NOTE: TUMS is the sponsor of the TUMS Fast Relief 500, the seventh race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, at Martinsville Speedway on October 30.
Ellington’s longtime driver, Donnie Allison, had chugged a soft drink during a mid-race pit stop. That, along with the scorching August heat, made Allison sick and uncomfortable in the car. He radioed for help. Ellington called on Darrell Waltrip.
Waltrip had been involved in a crash earlier in the race. Notified that he was needed, Waltrip replaced Allison in the No. 1 Chevrolet for the final 23 laps of the 188-lap race.
Waltrip drove past second-year driver Skip Manning with six laps remaining and held the lead until the end. Under NASCAR rules, the driver that starts the race is credited with the win, so Allison is the official winner.
Waltrip said the call to help Allison was quite unexpected. “I heard my name on the P.A.,” Waltrip said after the race. “So I hurried on down to Donnie’s pit. The heat had gotten to him. I was glad to help him out.”
Like TUMS, Waltrip provided fast relief for Allison and his team, earning Allison another win in the record books.
