June 30, 2007
By Allen Madding

Allen Madding

During the 1940s and 50s, the quarter-mile dirt Tulare Thunderbowl in California was a popular venue for midget car racing. When midget cars lost their appeal and the crowd at Tulare began to drop off, the track added Jalopy races. The division allowed local drivers an opportunity to compete on a modest investment. Most of the cars came from the local wrecking yard, and the racing amounted to anything goes, no-holds barred, slam fests.

Allen Adkins, born March 29, 1959, just home from military duty decided it was just the ticket for himself. He had soon earned the nickname “Ally Oop”, and he had won over 30 main events in the Jalopy races at Tulare.

Adkins soon set his sites on stock car racing.

In 1954, he finished 7th in the Pacific Coast Late Model Championship and made his NASCAR Grand National Division debut at the half-mile dirt track at Oakland Stadium in Oakland, California in a 300-lap event in August driving Gus Davis’ No. 68 Dodge to a third place finish. He competed in the 250-lap NASCAR Grand National Division event on the 1-mile dirt track at Bay Meadows Speedway in San Mateo, California recording a fourth place finish.

In 1955, Adkins competed in four Grand National events.

Driving Gus Davis’ No. 7 Dodge at the 1-mile dirt Arizona State Fairgrounds near Phoenix, he recorded a fifth place finish, and at the half-mile dirt track at Tucson Rodeo Grounds, he finished second. He drove Charles Vance’s No. 2 Dodge at Bay Meadows Speedway, finishing 12th after a crash and concluded his NASCAR season driving Davis’s Dodge to a 16th place finish after crashing.

Adkins competed regularly in the NASCAR Convertible Division during the 1955 season.

In the 1956 NASCAR Grand National Division, Adkins drove Gus Davis’ No. 2 at the 2.5-mile road course at Willow Springs Speedway near Lancaster, California finishing fifth and at the Arizona State Fairgrounds finishing 13th. He then drove Tom Harbison’s No. 97 and 98 Ford recording a seventh place finish at North Wilkesboro, a sixth place finish at Langhorne Speedway, and a 11th place finish at Richmond Fairgrounds. He completed his NASCAR season driving Don Holcomb’s No. 48 Ford in the Southern 500 finishing 34th.

In 1957, Adkins drove Pete DePaolo’s No. 99 Ford at North Wilkesboro in the Wilkes County 160 finishing sixth, and he drove the No. 4 Ford to a 13th place finish in a 100-lap NASCAR Grand National event on the one-mile dirt track at California Fairgrounds outside Sacramento, Califronia his final NASCAR Grand National Division event of his career.

Despite not returning to NASCAR Grand National competition after the 1957 season, Adkins continued to compete in modified stock cars and local short track races before retiring from racing in the early 1960s to launch an auto parts business. He later enjoyed success as the owner of a garbage company.

In 14 NASCAR Grand National Divisions starts over 4 years, Allen Adkins recorded 5 top-5 finishes and 8 top-10s.

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