Who were the only father and son to finish 1-2 in a Daytona 500? All you need to know

The historic Daytona 500 has been the inaugural race in the Cup Series schedule since 1959. This 200-lap race held at Daytona International Speedway has witnessed several prolific drivers taming the drafting track and multiple father-son duos achieving success. However, only one duo has been able to dominate the prestigious race by finishing first and second.

The 1988 Daytona 500 race is documented in the Guinness World Records labeling it as Bobby Allison and Davey Allison being the 'first father and son to finish 1-2 in a Daytona 500 race'.

The 1983 Cup Series champion Allison Sr. fended off his son, Davey, to the checkered flag to earn his third Daytona 500 victory. This was also his 84th and final career victory, putting him in the fourth spot on the all-time win list. Davey missed out on his maiden Daytona win following then 50-year-old Bobby's victory. He, later on, etched his name as the winner of 'The Great American Race' in 1992 beating NASCAR legends like Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, and Richard Petty.

With 18 laps to go, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby took the lead in the 500-mile race and maintained it until the end. After taking the white flag, his son took the inside lane and for a while, it looked like he would take the checkered flag. However, that didn't happen as Bobby took advantage of the turn 4 banking and made this a memorable race in NASCAR's history.

Here's a glimpse of the Bobby Aliison's third Daytona 500 victory in 1988:

---

"I can't tell you anything about it," Bobby Allison on his favorite race in NASCAR

In almost 25 years of career, Bobby Allison competed in over 700 races, claimed 84 wins, and 252 top-fives. He last competed in the 1988 Cup Series season and was forced to retire mid-season after a life-threatening crash at Pocono Raceway.

In an interview, while recollecting his final and the only win of the 1988 season, Allison Sr. said, via Autoweek:

"I've got all kinds of proof that Davey was second to me that day, but I can't tell you anything about it. I've seen pictures of me and him pouring beer on each other (in victory lane). I've watched the television tapes and I’ve read all about it over and over. It's funny how I remember things that happened around that day, but nothing about the race. I really, really wish I did."

Unfortunately, Bobby's forced retirement wasn't the end of the misery. His younger son, Clifford, was in a practice crash at Michigan International Speedway for the 1992 Xfinity Series. Moreover, Davey died in a helicopter crash the next year in Talladega.

Bobby Allison - Source: Imagn

Reflecting on the unfortunate events in his life, NASCAR legend Allison Sr. added:

"Racing has been good to me in a lot of ways. It's been very unfortunate in other ways. The way I look at it, life, not racing, has presented me with some difficult times. I don't think there's anything wrong with the sport. My feeling about life and death is this: Life is a gift and death can come at any time. You can't do anything about it."