[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 19 (Monday, February 28, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        TRIBUTE TO NEIL BONNETT

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, stock car racing and sports fans in 
Alabama and across the South were shocked and saddened yet again on 
February 11 when driver Neil Bonnett, native of Hueytown and a senior 
member of the famed Alabama Gang, was killed during the opening 
practice session for the Daytona 500.
  This was the third tragic death in 18 months of a member of the gang. 
Star Davey Allison died in a helicopter crash in July, and his brother 
Clifford was killed in a car crash 11 months before that. Sadly, the 
Daytona track claimed its second victim in just 4 days only a few hours 
before Neil's funeral when Rodney Orr, a racer from Palm Coast, FL, was 
killed during a practice lap.
  Only 47 years old, Bonnett was making a comeback from a crash in 1990 
in which he suffered a severe concussion and partial memory loss. After 
that crash, he became the host of a television racing show on the 
Nashville network. Although he had a promising TV career, his friends 
and colleagues knew that his heart and soul were in racing.
  Bonnett began his racing career in the early 1970's with another 
member of the Alabama Gang, his long-time friend Bobby Allison. Over 
the course of his career, he claimed 18 NASCAR victories.
  Neil Bonnett will long be remembered not only as a world-class 
sportsman and competitor of the highest order, but also as a loving 
husband, father, and friend who just couldn't ignore his passion for 
car racing. He will be sorely missed by those thousands who knew him, 
worked with him, competed against him, or simply watched him race. I 
extend my sincerest condolences to his wife, Susan, and their children, 
David and Kristen.

                          ____________________