In 1971, Bobby Allison won a big-league NASCAR race but wasn't in a big-league car. The win was never reflected on the all-time wins list, until now.

After 53 years of debate, NASCAR has named Allison the winner of the 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Today, NASCAR announces its recognition of Bobby Allison as the official winner of the 1971 NASCAR Cup Series race at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Motor After more than 50 years, winner declared for 1971 NASCAR race For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only NASCAR race without a winner.

Between the 1971 and 1972 seasons, NASCAR trimmed the Cup schedule from 48 races to 31.

NASCAR has awarded Bobby Allison with the win from 1971, meaning he now has 85 career wins. This pushes Allison past Darrell Waltrip, and he only trails Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Jeff Gordon.

In a historic decision, NASCAR has officially awarded Bobby Allison with his 85th Cup Series victory, giving him sole possession of fourth all-time on the wins list.

Allison's victory in a combined class race at Bowman-Gray Stadium is officially being recognized for the first time since it was controversially voided in 1971, officially making the NASCAR legend ...

MORE: Updated NASCAR schedule for 2020 You have to go back almost half a century, to 1971, to find a comparable squeeze. That was the last year the Cup Series ran a 48-race schedule.