In Defense of Steve Grissom
In Defense of Steve Grissom
By Brian H Cotnoir
My most powerful memory of NASCAR driver Steve Grissom was during a race at Atlanta in 1997. I was only seven years old, and I remember seeing his #41 Kodiak Chevy spin down the back stretch before backing into the inside concrete wall and flipping violently as his gas tank was thrown from car and erupted in a fireball. I remember watching this on TV in the living room because I can still recall my father's reaction to the wreck "He's gone! Nobody can survive that!" and I started to cry, because I thought he really was killed in the wreck. Fortunately, Steve Grissom survived the wreck and would be back in his car two races later at Texas Motor Speedway.
That wreck in Atlanta wasn't a career-defining moment for Grissom, but unfortunately many of his accomplishments in NASCAR have been overshadowed by a lackluster Cup Career and being a part of some of NASCAR's most tragic moments. This may come as surprise to many of you, but Grissom is actually a Championship winning driver in the NASCAR Busch Series, and even back then that was no small feat. Why is it that Grissom isn't as fondly remembered as other drivers from his era drivers like Johnny Benson Jr., Ron Hornady Jr., Todd Bodine, Bobby Labonte, and Joe Nemechek. Who is driver Steve Grissom, and why should he deserve to be remembered?
Grissom's racing career began in his home state of Alabama, driving for his father Wayne on local short tracks. At age 22, Grissom raced and won the Championship in the NASCAR All-Pro Series. The following year in 1986, he made his debut in the NASCAR Busch Series for his families racing team. By 1988, Grissom had begun competing full-time in the NASCAR Busch Series, and by the 1990 season Grissom had finally begun to win. He scored four wins that season and finished an impressive 3rd in the final drivers' standings. Over the next two seasons, Grissom still won races, but his average finish on track began to sink. In 1993 Grissom's would win 2 races and would go on to win the 1993 Busch Series Championship for his family run team. Grissom capitalized on his Championship season by signing a contract to drive in the NASCAR Cup Series for the 1994 season.
Grissom narrowly lost out on Rookie of the Year award to Jeff Burton. While driving for Diamond Ridge in the Cup Series he also ran part-time in the Busch Series and scored three more victories including the 1996 season opening round at Daytona. Grissom and Diamond Ridge could not find the same success in the Cup Series despite sponsorship money from big name companies like Meineke and Cartoon Network. In two and a half seasons in the Cup Seres with Diamond Ridge, Grissom failed to win a race and only ever scored two finishes in the Top 5.
Grissom would go on to drive Larry Hendrick during the 1997 Cup Season. Grissom's best finish would be a 4th place at both New Hampshire races, and he finished a career best 21st in the Final Drivers' Standings despite failing to qualify for the Spring Darlington Race. The following season Grissom would be let go by Larry Hendrick with six races to go in the season. In 1999, Grissom ran part-time for a multitude of teams in the NASCAR Cup and Busch Series but failed to recapture his former glory.
Grissom was hired to drive the #43 Truck for Petty Enterprises in the NASCAR Truck Series during the 2000 season. He would also make a somber return to the NASCAR Cup Series as well, as Petty Enterprises tapped him to make starts for Kyle Petty, whose son Adam had been killed during Busch Series practice at New Hampshire Speedway in May. Grissom made 5 starts in Kyle Petty's car, but failed to qualify for 9 races. In the Truck Series, he consistently ran in the Top 10 and Top 5 for most of the season, but he was unable to return to Victory Lane. Even worst, Grissom was involved in a wreck at Texas Motor Speedway that claimed the life of driver Tony Roper. Grissom returned to the 44 car at Petty part-time in 2002 but couldn't muster much better results. His last full-time season in any of NASCAR's top 3 series came in 2005 when he raced in the NASCAR Busch Series for the underfunded Jay Robinson Racing team, his best finish was a 16th place at Talladega, in his home state of Alabama.
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Grissom's last start in NASCAR came in 2009, and not much has been heard of him on or off the track since. I would not consider, Grissom a NASCAR Bust because of the 11 wins in the NASCAR Busch Series and his 1993 Drivers Championship. Grissom's lack of results in the Cup career can be chalked up to driving for underfunded racing teams, and in the case of Petty Enterprises, he wasn't really hired to drive the teams Cup car, he was merely just filling in for a grieving father. His NASCAR stats may not be "Hall of Fame" worthy, but he still had a long career with brief moments of prosperity.
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