Bobby Allen, who was known and respected on local and national dirt tracks, died Oct. 5 at 81.
World of Outlaws and local dirt track legend Bobby Allen died Oct. 5, according to a news release from Williams Grove Speedway.
Allen, of Hanover, was 81. His death came one day after he fielded two cars in the 63rd annual National Open at Williams Grove on Oct. 4.
Allen, who was originally from Florida, won 36 sprint car races at the Grove, his first coming on May 23, 1969 and his last on June 2, 1989.
Allen was affectionately known as "Old Scruffy" and "The Original Outlaw," for his tendency to "suddenly appear at high-dollar races across the nation, in an effort to steal the loot in an upset," according to the release.
Allen passed the love of sprint car racing down to his son, Jacob, and grandson, Logan Schuchart, both of whom are with the World of Outlaws.
“Naturally when it’s your own kids, it's thrilling,” Bobby Allen said in a 2019 Evening Sun article. “It’s exciting to watch them do what they do and watch their progress. I am proud of both of them. I want them both to win, want them both to run well, and their attitude to be good off the track, too.”
Allen won the 1990 Knoxville Nationals and was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
He was the de facto leader of “The Hanover Gang” for decades, a band of sprint car drivers from the area that included Steve Smith, Steve Siegel, Van May, Cris and Darran Eash and others.
"The staff and management of Williams Grove Speedway extend its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Bobby Allen," the release stated. "Allen left an indelible mark on the sport and Williams Grove Speedway, one that will live forever in memory and the annals of history."
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Hanover's Bobby Allen, sprint car Hall of Famer, dies at 81
Category: General Sports
