What ever happened to ... JohnnyALLEN

From 1955-1967, Johnny Allen made 173 starts in the division now known as Nextel Cup. He won twice, once at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., and again in the inaugural race at Bristol Motor Speedway, when he finished the race in relief of Jack Smith.

He seemed to thrive on new tracks, as evidenced by his runner-up run in the inaugural Atlanta 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where three years later he was involved in one of the most spectacular wrecks in the history of the track.

Allen, 72, is retired as owner of a paint and body shop supply company and divides his time between his hometown of Greenville, S.C., and his beach house in Daytona Beach, Fla.

On his favorite track: "It had to be Darlington, although it wasn't that good to me. It was a challenge to be able to conquer it. I wanted so bad to be able to win it, and I loved racing it, running inches from the wall, hard passing, fast speeds. It had all the ingredients of a real challenge. I liked Daytona, too, but it was kind of boring."

On his crash at Atlanta in 1963 in which his car flew out of the track: "I was down on the very bottom groove when I blew the right front tire. The car just shot straight up the race track and hit the guardrail. It broke through the top rail and the car stood up on its nose tearing up the guardrail. ... It finally got a good grip and just flew out of the race track. It flipped over once going out and ended up on its wheels. It seemed like forever before it stopped."

On the lasting impact of the '63 wreck: "That pretty much ended my career in Grand Nationals. It put the car owner [Ratus Waters] out of business. It totally demolished his only car. I broke my foot and my hand and my nose, but I was very fortunate to not get hurt any worse."

On the changes in racing since he retired: "Racing's racing, wherever you're running. You're out there to win and beat your fellow man and master the car and deal with the track conditions. That doesn't change.

"There's more politics and all that today. I wouldn't do good in today's racing business. But the money's good. In fact, I'd say most professional athletes today are overpaid."

- Rick Minter