By Glenn Rolfe

GEORGETOWN — NASCAR Hall of Famer Donnie Allison, a 10-time winner in stock car racing’s top series who may be best remembered for his final lap, backstretch brawl with Cale Yarborough in the 1979 Daytona 500, will be the grand marshal for the April 26 Melvin L. Joseph Memorial at Georgetown Speedway.

The nation’s top Super Late Model stars converge for a massive $19,049 winner’s share for 49 laps around the progressively banked four-tenths-mile oval. The event marks the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series’ second-ever stop in the state of Delaware.

Mr. Allison, an ambassador for the sport for more than 50 years, will be on hand to meet fans and share stories from his career. He will sign autographs from 5-6 p.m. in the grandstand area on race day and will also address the crowd prior to opening ceremonies. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this year.

The Lucas field will be boosted by NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain, who will sign autographs at 6 p.m. with plans to compete in the event with a Ken Adams-backed Super Late Model in the event.

Last August, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series made its rousing debut at Georgetown with Ricky Thornton Jr. picking up a dramatic victory. Thornton sits atop the standings as the series returns April 26.

On April 26, pit gates open at 3 p.m., with grandstand gates unlocked at 4 p.m. Hot laps begin at 6:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30 p.m.

Grandstand admission is $40 (adults), $35 for seniors (ages 65 and over) and students (ages 13-17), $10 for kids (ages 9-12) and children 8 and under are free.

All seating is general admission in the grandstands. Pit admission is $45 (ages 13 and up), $10 kids (ages 6-12) and $2 children (ages 5 and under).

Little Lincolns, Delaware Super Trucks and Feebs Distilling Delmarva Chargers complete the program.

Georgetown Speedway, originally constructed by Melvin L. Joseph in 1949, is located at the intersection of U.S. 113 and Speedway Road in Georgetown.

For more information, visit the speedway website at www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com.

Nationwide notoriety

A member of the famed “Alabama Gang” that included brother Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison is best known for his role in NASCAR’s most famous moment involving his brother Bobby: the 1979 fight with Cale Yarborough in the Daytona 500 during the first nationally televised NASCAR event.

Leading on the final lap, Donnie Allison, seeking to end his Daytona 500 win drought after a couple near misses, and Yarborough, who had climbed from two laps down into second place, were running 1-2.

As Yarborough tried to pass on the inside, they banged fenders several times. Both cars slid up the banking into the outside wall and funneled down into the infield, no longer running. Richard Petty won the race, edging Darrell Waltrip for his sixth Daytona 500.

As CBS announcers Ken Squier and David Hobbs were saluting Petty’s victory and recapping the event, cameras switched to the altercation on the backstretch. “And there’s a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison,” said Mr. Squier.

Bobby Allison had pulled off the backstretch to check on his brother.

Donnie Allison shared his take on the incident during his appearance several years ago in support of a Delaware Breast Cancer Awareness Car, Truck, Motorcycle and Tractor Show in Georgetown.

“Well, I was somewhere Cale wanted to be,” said Donnie Allison. “At that time in ’79 the blocking wasn’t going on like it is now, and in fact you can call what I did trying to block, but I wasn’t blocking. I was taking a lane. I wasn’t going to let him underneath of me. I had to give him all the room he wanted on the outside. We’ll never know that now, because he didn’t try to go out there.”