Meet Liz Allison

By Liz Allison, Turner Sports Interactive
July 3, 2001
11:48 AM EDT (1548 GMT)

I realize that many of you know my history in Winston Cup racing, but I am sure that some are wondering who in the world I am as a person. So, I thought for this introductory column, I'd tell you a little about myself and how this all came to be.

I was a naive 23-three-year old living in Charleston, S.C., when a friend invited me to a short-track race at Summerville Speedway. I reluctantly went to the race that evening when, lo and behold, I met the man that I would later marry.

It was an extremely warm evening in August 1988. I was sitting on the back of a pickup truck trying to stay cool when a good-looking stranger wearing black corduroys (in hot August mind you ) came strolling up to say hello. This stranger I would later find out was none other than Davey Allison.

Yes, I fell head over heals and the rest, they say, is history. Davey and I were married a year later and soon afterward, we started our family. We were blessed with Krista, who is now 11 years old, and Robbie, who is now 9 years old.

I spent the next five years of my life following the Busch and Winston Cup circuits with my husband. Davey won many races during that time and I was fortunate to have been there for most of them. I have done everything at the track from keeping laps to cooking for the team and just about everything in-between. My love for the sport started many years ago and continues to grow along with the popularity of NASCAR racing.

Davey was killed in 1993 after a helicopter he was piloting crashed in to the infield of Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR lost a great racer and the children and I lost a fine man.

Not long after Davey's death, Robbie and Krista and I moved from our home in Hueytown, Ala., to Nashville, Tenn., where we live today. My personal relationships in the sport have been constant in my life and home will always be at the track.

When Jim Huber from Turner Sports contacted me about this position with TNT, it seemed a natural fit. Everything fell right in to place.

I will be making the rounds with TNT for all of its racing coverage. My first NASCAR Busch Series race will be July 8 in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and my first Winston Cup race will be July 29 in Pocono, Pa. I will also be contributing weekly to NASCAR.com.

I will be bringing you many personal stories about the drivers and their families as well as race day coverage. I will also keep you posted on what's going on with the guys away from the track.

It is going to be a lot of fun and I am real excited about working to bring you the stories you want to see. I am looking forward to seeing you around at the tracks. Come find me and say "hi."

In closing, I know that you will all enjoy TNT's coverage of the Busch and Winston Cup races. TNT has put together an awesome team to bring you the very best racing coverage every weekend.

And I am very proud to be a part of that.