Flat Rock - With the first half of the season behind us and the Winston Cup circuit traveling back to the sandy beaches of Daytona, we are reminded of the most stunnig upset of the '94 season.
It was young Loy Allen who quietly rolled into Daytona in February as the driver of the Hooters Ford Thunderbird. Allen and his Tri Star Motorsports team turned few heads in the garage area, but it was not long before they started making some noise. In preparation for his initial Daytona 500 start, the veteran Tri Star team chose to enter Allen, a former ARCA Series standout, in the ARCA Daytona 200. The combination of Allen and Tri Star put their efforts on the pole for the 500's preliminary event. This was not uncommon territory for Allen for in 15 previous ARCA events he started on the front row 8 times. In his first ever attempt to qualify these heavy stock cars, Allen motored a former Robert Yates short track car to the top spot just two years earlier. While this was an accomplishment to be proud of, th the averave fan it was often overlooked by the hoopla surrounding the "Superbowl" of stock car racing, the "Daytona 500."
Allen under the "wing" of his Hooter's sponsorship, did not have much time to smile about his ARCA pole. It was back to work for he and his crew as they attempted to qualify yet another car for the famed "Daytona 500." This time everyone would soon learn who Loy Allen was. The newcomer, a 1994 Rookie of the Year candidate, put his Hooters Fort Thunderbird up front in the top spot and veterans of the sport in the rear view mirror. It marked the first time a rookie had claimed the pole position for the "Daytona 500" and the first time any driver had won the pole position for both the ARCA and Winston Cup events during the Daytona, February events. For those who knew little of Loy Allen, they were introduced to the former dirt track ace with 53 wins from Raliegh, North Carolina.
Was this a fluke? The opinion of some was yes, but for he and his crew they cared little of others' opinions for there actions would speak for themselves.
While in the backyard of team sponsor, Hooters Resturants, Loy Allen put his Tri Star Motorsports prepared machine on the pole again. This time he did it in style by setting a new track record at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. In May the team missed the top spot, at Talladega, by two one hundreths of a second and settled for the outside pole position. Most recently, the combination of Allen and Tri Star beat the heat and trak conditions to sit on yet another pole. They broke the event record for the spring race at Michigan International Speedway.
"Loy Who?" When we last visited Daytona Beach this question echoed throughout, not only by the fans but by some in the garage area as well.
Do you think they know who Loy Allen is now? They may or may not, but to Allen and his crew this is of little concern. They know if they continue to improve and become the team they are capable of, everything will take care of itself. Right now their main goals for the second half of '94 is to qualify for each of the remaining events, finish them, and make a run for the '94 Rookie of the Year Award.
Can Loy Allen and his Tri Star Motorsports team accomplish these goals? I would not count them out!
View Loy's 1994 stats here!
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