- Steve Grissom
Infobox_NASCAR_driver
Name = Steven Grissom
Birthdate = birth date and age|1963|6|26
Birthplace =Gadsden, Alabama | Previous_Year = 2006
Prev_Busch_Pos = 98th
Best_Busch_Pos = 1st - 1993 (Busch Series) | Busch_Wins = 11
Busch_Top_Tens = 74
Busch_Poles = 4
First_Busch_Race = 1986Freedlander 200 (Richmond)
First_Busch_Win = 1990Granger Select 200 (Dublin)
Last_Busch_Win = 1996Goody's Headache Powder 300 (Daytona)
Best_Cup_Pos = 21st - 1997 (Winston Cup)
Cup_Top_Tens = 18
First_Cup_Race = 1990Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta)
Last_Cup_Race = 2002Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville)
Years_In_Cup = 10
Total_Cup_Races = 151
Awards = 1985 Winston All-Pro Series Champion1993
Busch Series Champion
Updated_On =February 26 , 2007Steve Grissom is a
NASCAR Busch Series driver. He currently does not have a full-time. Grissom was the 1993 Busch Series champion and currently has eleven Busch wins. He turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at theUniversity of Alabama to focus a career on racing.Early years
Grissom began his racing career as a youth, working on cars with his father Wayne, who was a sponsor of short track drivers in their homestate of Alabama. He soon began racing cars himself, balancing that with being captain of his high school football and basketball teams. He eventually joined the Winston All-Pro Series, and won the championship in 1985. The next season, he was nominated for Alabama Pro Athlete of the Year.
Busch Championship
Grissom made his Busch Series debut in 1986 at the
Freedlander 200 , in the #31Oldsmobile owned by his father. He started 16th but finished 30th due to engine failure. He ran three more races over the next two years, his best finish being an 11th. In 1988, he moved into the series full-time. Despite a lack of major sponsorship, Grissom had four top-tens and finished 13th in points. In 1989, he landed funding fromTexas Pete Sauces , and moved to twelfth in points. WithBig Mama Meats on board as sponsor, Grissom won four races and finished 3rd in points in 1990, behindChuck Bown andJimmy Hensley . During the season, Grissom ran oneWinston Cup race forDick Moroso at theAtlanta Journal 500 , starting 23rd and finishing 24th. Unfortunately, a lack of funding kept Grissom from competing for the championship in 1991, as he had just one win and slid back to tenth in points. AfterChannellock came on board in 1992, Grissom regained his success of 1990, winning two races, and clinching the Busch Series championship in 1993.Winston Cup
In 1993, Grissom ran an additional Cup race for
Diamond Ridge Motorsports atNew Hampshire International Speedway , finishing 29th. Grissom signed with Diamond Ridge to compete for Rookie of the Year honors in 1994. Despite struggles in qualifying, Grissom had three top-tens and was narrowly defeated byJeff Burton for Rookie of the Year. Diamond Ridge also bought Grissom's Busch Series operation, and running a part-time schedule Grissom won twice and finished 26th in points in 1995. But despite four top-tens in 1995's Cup season, Grissom was only able to increase his position in points to 27th.Grissom started 1996 off on a high note, winning the season-opening Busch Series race, but he was fired from Diamond Ridge after the
Miller 400 Cup race.Struggles
For 1997, Grissom signed on with
Larry Hedrick Motorsports . Grissom started the year winning the outside pole for theDaytona 500 . As the season progressed, he finished in the top-ten six times and finished a career-high 21st in points. After he struggled throughout the 1998 season, he was released from his ride and ended the season driving the #96 forAmerican Equipment Racing . After American Equipment closed its doors, Grissom started the 1999 season withLJ Racing in a four-race deal. After his contract was not renewed, he spent the season doing fill-in duty forCarroll Racing ,Travis Carter Motorsports , andHensley Motorsports , among others.In 2000, Grissom was hired by
Petty Enterprises to drive their #43Dodge Ram in theCraftsman Truck Series . While he did not visit victory lane, Grissom finished in the top-five six times and finished tenth in points. He also ran in the Cup series, filling in forKyle Petty in the #44Hot Wheels Pontiac Grand Prix . After spending virtually all of 2001 on the sidelines, he was called back to Petty in 2002 to replaceBuckshot Jones in the #44. In ten starts, he posted one top-ten atRichmond International Raceway . He has not run a Cup race since. That season, Grissom ran 7 in the Nationwide Series races forFrank Cicci Racing , then spent 2003 atDCT Motorsports . After being released from DCT midway through 2004, he finished the year atGIC-Mixon Motorsports . He finished 28th in points that season.Presently
In 2005, Grissom joined with Jay Robinson Racing to drive the #49
Advil Ford Taurus . Despite not finishing in the top-ten Grissom was able to land a 23rd place finish in points. Unfortunately, he and his team came under controversy due to their tendency to qualify for races on the "Past Champion's Provisional", a starting spot set aside for past champions in the Busch Series who fail to qualify on time. Grissom ran two races for Robinson on a part-time basis in 2006, and drove the season opening races in 2007 and 2008, for Cicci Racing andMSRP Motorsports respectively.His son Kyle, is a leading competitor in the Late Model circuit.
External links
* [http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=grissst01 Steve Grissom Career Statistics]
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