Editing Neil Bonnett (section)

{{short description|American racing driver (1946–1994)}}
{{Infobox NASCAR driver
|name            = Neil Bonnett
|image           = NeilBonnett1985.jpg
|caption         = Bonnett in 1985
|birth_date      = {{birth date|1946|7|30|mf=y}}
|death_date      = {{death date and age|1994|2|11|1946|7|30|mf=y}}
|birth_place     = [[Hueytown, Alabama|Hueytown]], [[Alabama]], U.S.
|death_place     = [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]], [[Florida]], U.S.
|death_cause     = Autoracing accident during practice for the [[1994 Daytona 500]]
|achievements    = [[1981 Southern 500]] Winner<br>[[1982 World 600|1982]], [[1983 World 600|1983]] [[World 600]] Winner<br>[[1979 Firecracker 400]] Winner<br>[[1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1983]], [[1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1984]] [[Daytona Shootout|Busch Clash]] Winner<br>Winner of the first ever NASCAR race run outside of North America, the [[1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500|Goodyear NASCAR 500]] held in [[Australia]] (1988)
|awards          = National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1997)<br>Named one of [[NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers]] (1998)<br>[[International Motorsports Hall of Fame]] (2001)<br>[[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]] (2012)<ref name=MSHoF>[http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/neil-bonnett.html Neil Bonnett] at the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]]</ref><br>Named one of [[NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers]] (2023)
|Total_Cup_Races = 362
|Years_In_Cup    = 18
|Best_Cup_Pos    = 4th ([[1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1985]])
|First_Cup_Race  = [[1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1974]] [[Winston 500 (Spring)|Winston 500]] ([[Talladega Superspeedway|Talladega]])
|First_Cup_Win   = [[1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1977]] [[Chevy Rock and Roll 400|Capital City 400]] ([[Richmond International Raceway|Richmond]])
|Last_Cup_Win    = [[1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1988]] [[Goodwrench 500]] ([[North Carolina Speedway|Rockingham]])
|Last_Cup_Race   = [[1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1993]] [[Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500|Hooters 500]] ([[Atlanta Motor Speedway|Atlanta]])
|Cup_Wins        = 18
|Cup_Top_Tens    = 156
|Cup_Poles       = 20
| Total_Busch_Races  = 13
| Years_In_Busch     = 6
| Best_Busch_Pos     = 29th ([[1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series|1983]])
| First_Busch_Race   = [[1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series|1983]] [[Goody's 300]] ([[Daytona International Speedway|Daytona]])
| Last_Busch_Race    = [[1993 NASCAR Busch Series|1993]] [[Slick 50 300]] ([[Atlanta Motor Speedway|Atlanta]])
| First_Busch_Win    = [[1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series|1983]] [[Darlington 250]] ([[Darlington Raceway|Darlington]])
| Last_Busch_Win     =
| Busch_Wins         = 1
| Busch_Top_Tens     = 7
| Busch_Poles        = 0
|updated         = June 14, 2015
}}
[[Image:NeilBonnett75racecar1983.jpg|thumb|right|Neil Bonnett's 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar.]]

'''Lawrence Neil Bonnett''' (July 30, 1946 – February 11, 1994) was an American [[NASCAR]] driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 [[Pole position|poles]] over his 18-year career. Bonnett was a member of the [[Alabama Gang]], and started his career with the help of [[Bobby Allison|Bobby]] and [[Donnie Allison]]. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s with his performances in cars owned by [[Jim Stacy]] and [[Wood Brothers Racing]], becoming one of the top competitors in the 1980s. The [[Alabama]] native currently ranks 47th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories.<ref>[http://www.teamterrier.com/Victory.html Sprint Cup / Nextel Cup / Winston Cup all time Victory Records]</ref> He appeared in the 1983 film ''[[Stroker Ace]]'' and the 1990 film ''[[Days of Thunder]]''. Bonnett hosted the TV show [[Winners (American TV series)|''Winners'']] for [[TNN Motor Sports/TNN Sports|TNN]] from 1991 to 1994. He was a color commentator for CBS, TBS, and TNN in the years until his death. Bonnett's driving career was interrupted by a severe brain injury from a crash in 1990. He was killed while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500 for a much-anticipated comeback.