Milestone Moment: Bill Elliott’s Lap Record Changed NASCAR
By Keith Waltz The Winston 500 on May 3, 1987, at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway was a turning point in the balance between speed and safety in NASCAR racing. With Bill Elliott winning the pole at more than 212 mph, the sport avoided a major catastrophe on lap 22 when something cut the right-rear tire on Bobby Allison’s Buick exiting the tri-oval portion of the 2.66-mile track and the car flew into the catch fence. The impact ripped out nearly 100 feet of the fence, but the steel support cables did their job and kept Allison’s car out of the grandstand. “I looked…