Highlighting the Class of 2011:

Bobby Allison, the 1983 champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, ended his career with 84 victories – tied for third on the all-time victory list with Darrell Waltrip.

A charter member of the “Alabama Gang,” the longtime resident of Hueytown, Ala., has become one of NASCAR’s most beloved former competitors, in large part because of his remarkable resilience after a career-ending accident at Pocono Raceway in 1988 – just several months after he won the Daytona 500.

Allison continues to be cherished by the millions of fans who remember his long list of accomplishments:

His 1983 championship season;
His 1983 championship season;
His three (1978, ’82 ’88) Daytona 500 victories – especially the third, when he beat his son Davey to the finish, earning what would be his last victory;
His two NASCAR Modified Division championships, in 1964 and 1965;
His two NASCAR Modified Special Division titles in 1962-63;
And his fantastic 1972 season when he won 10 races, had 12 second-place efforts and 11 poles, in the process finishing second to Richard Petty in the series championship standings.

Fittingly, Allison was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998.

Ned Jarrett had it all – hard-charging capabilities combined with the consistency essential to stock-car success. The combination produced two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships. His 50 career victories are tied for 10th all-time with Junior Johnson. He also won a total of 28 races during the 1964 and ’65 seasons.

Jarrett won his first series title in 1961 while driving a Chevrolet for W.G. Holloway Jr. He finished with only one victory, but posted an impressive 34 top 10s in 46 starts. In 1965, he won his second title while driving for DuPont heir Bondy Long, and despite a back injury sustained at Greenville, S.C., Jarrett finished with 13 wins and 42 top fives in 54 starts that season. He also won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway by 14 laps, (17.5 miles), still the largest margin of victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup history.

In addition to his immense success in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Jarrett also captured two championships in the Sportsman Division (1957 and 1958).

Nicknamed “Gentleman Ned,” Jarrett and his wife, Martha, reside in Hickory, N.C. Their family includes son Dale, who won the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup title. Since retiring, the elder Jarrett has become one of NASCAR’s greatest ambassadors. He’s also considered instrumental to the sport’s growth through his second career as a broadcaster. Now retired from broadcasting, he is especially remembered for the emotional call of his son Dale’s 1993 Daytona 500 victory.

Jarrett was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998.

A decorated World War II infantryman, Bud Moore became a successful NASCAR Sprint Cup owner almost immediately upon fielding a team in 1961. Moore won back-to-back championships in 1962-63 with Joe Weatherly. Earlier, in 1957, Moore – who referred to himself as “a country mechanic” – was crew chief for champion Buck Baker.

During 37 seasons in NASCAR’s premier division, Moore’s cars won 63 times and finished 298 and 463 times respectively among the top five and top 10. His cars also won 43 poles in the team’s 959 starts. Moore-owned cars have visited Victory Lane in most of the sport’s biggest events including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500.

Moore’s cars, both fast and dependable, attracted the sport’s top drivers. They included Weatherly, Dale Earnhardt, Fireball Roberts, David Pearson, Billy Wade, Darel Dieringer, Bobby Isaac, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, Ricky Rudd and Geoffrey Bodine.

As a top performer among Ford’s motorsports stable, Moore frequently was tapped to spearhead the company’s other racing endeavors. Among his successes was the 1970 Sports Car Club of America championship with Parnelli Jones.

David Pearson, a.k.a. The Silver Fox, was the model of NASCAR efficiency during his career.

With little exaggeration, when Pearson showed up at a race track, he won.

His 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories ranks second all-time, and he amassed that figure in only 574 races – a winning percentage of 18.29.

In a career that spanned 27 years, Pearson never once ran every single race in a given season. When he came close to running the full schedule, he won a championship – or came darn close.

In 1966, Pearson ran 42 of 49 races to win his first championship. In his 1968 championship winning campaign, he ran 48 of 49 races. And in 1969, he ran 51 of 54 en route to his third and final title.

His consistent greatness might best be defined by his 1974 performance, a season he did not win the championship. He finished third that year behind Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough – but raced only 19 of 30 races.

Ranking second in wins and poles, Pearson’s numbers are eclipsed only by Petty. Pearson won the Daytona 500 once (1976), but had six victories overall at Daytona International Speedway.

It took a while – three whole days – for officials to declare Lee Petty the winner of the first Daytona 500.

So in many ways, we have Petty to thank for the yearly spectacle that is “The Great American Race.” That’s because he created the very first spectacle.

On the final lap, Petty and Johnny Beauchamp barreled toward the finish line, in what would become one of the closest finishes in the prestigious race’s history. So close, in fact, that race officials put a hold on the results for three days. A photo snapped at the finish line confirmed Petty’s win, his first in another championship winning season.

But that first Daytona 500 is only one of many Petty accomplishments. His career was a long list of “firsts” and “mosts.” Along with winning the first Daytona 500, Petty also was the first driver to capture three championships in what now is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

And up until the time his own son, Richard, caught and passed him, Lee won more races than any other driver – 54. That number still ranks ninth all-time.

But maybe his greatest legacy is his own name – and lineage. Petty, who started Petty Enterprises, is the father of “The King” Richard Petty and the grandfather of Kyle Petty.