| Steve Grissom | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grissom in 1996 | |||||||
| Born | (1963-06-26)June 26, 1963 (age 62) Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||
| Achievements | 1985All Pro Super Series Champion 1993 NASCARBusch Series champion | ||||||
| NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
| 151 races run over 10 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 21st (1997) | ||||||
| First race | 1990Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCARO'Reilly Auto Parts Series career | |||||||
| 309 races run over 24 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1993) | ||||||
| First race | 1986Freedlander 200 (Richmond) | ||||||
| Last race | 2009Scotts Turf Builder 300 (Bristol) | ||||||
| First win | 1990Granger Select 200 (Dublin) | ||||||
| Last win | 1996Goody's Headache Powder 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 24 races run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 10th (2000) | ||||||
| First race | 2000Daytona 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2000Motorola 200 (Fontana) | ||||||
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Steven Paul Grissom (born June 26, 1963) is an American formerstock car racing driver. He was the 1993Busch Series champion and has eleven Busch wins in 185 starts.[1] Grissom turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at theUniversity of Alabama to focus a career on racing.[citation needed]
Grissom began his racing career in his youth, working on cars with his father Wayne, who was a sponsor of short track drivers in their home state ofAlabama.[1] He soon began racing cars himself, balancing that with being captain of his high school football and basketball teams in 1981.[1] 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.[1]
Grissom made his Busch Series debut in1986 at theFreedlander 200, in the No. 31Oldsmobile owned by hisfather. He started sixteenth but finished 30th due to engine failure. He ran three more races over the next two years, his best finish being an eleventh. In1988, he moved into the series full-time. Despite a lack of major sponsorship, Grissom had four top-tens and finished thirteenth in points. In1989, he landed funding fromTexas Pete Sauces, and moved to twelfth in points.
In 1990, Grissom won four races, including two straight,[2] and finished third in points behindChuck Bown andJimmy Hensley. During the season, Grissom ran oneWinston Cup race forDick Moroso at theAtlanta Journal 500, starting 23rd and finishing 24th. A lack of funding kept Grissom from competing for the championship in 1991, as he had one win and slid back to 10th in points. AfterChannellock andRoddenberry's came on board in 1992, Grissom regained his success of 1990, winning two races. He clinched the Busch Series championship in1993 for his family-owned team.[2] Grissom won the championship by 253 points overRicky Craven.[2]
In 1993, Grissom ran an additional Cup race forDiamond Ridge Motorsports atPhoenix International Speedway, finishing 29th. Grissom signed with Diamond Ridge to compete forRookie of the Year honors in1994.[2] Despite struggles in qualifying, Grissom had three Top 10's 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 in1995. Grissom had four top-tens in the 1995 Cup season, finishing 27th in points;[1] he started the season running in the top-ten points early on in the year. Grissom started 1996 off on a high note, winning the season-opening Busch Series race driving theWCW car, but he was released from Diamond Ridge after theMiller 400 race midway through the season.[2]

For1997, Grissom signed on withLarry Hedrick Motorsports.[2] Grissom started the year winning the outside pole for theDaytona 500.[1] As the season progressed, he finished in the top-ten six times and finished a career-high 21st in points. After he struggled throughout the1998 season, he was released from his ride[2] and ended the season driving the No. 96 forAmerican Equipment Racing.
Grissom's No. 41 Chevrolet had a major crash during thePrimestar 500. Grissom's car slid into the inside wall and flipped on the roof. Thegas tank was detached by the impact, which flew across the racetrack, spilling gasoline. Which later ignited a fire by friction withMike Wallace's car. Grissom was taken to the infield medical center, and released 45 minutes later. The fire was extinguished and the racing resumed about an hour later with 44 laps remaining.

After American Equipment closed its doors, Grissom started the1999 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.
In2000, Grissom was hired byPetty Enterprises to drive their No. 43Dodge Ram in theCraftsman Truck Series.[2] This year was best known as whenTony Roper turned into Grissom's bumper and hit the wall head-on atTexas Motor Speedway, then hitting Roper's truck as it slid down the track. Roper died of injuries he sustained from the crash the next morning. 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 No. 44Hot WheelsPontiac Grand Prix.[2] After spending virtually all of 2001 on the sidelines, he was called back to Petty in2002 to replaceBuckshot Jones in the No. 44. In ten starts, he posted one top-ten atRichmond International Raceway. He has not run a Cup race since. That season, Grissom ran seven 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.
In2005, Grissom joined withJay Robinson Racing to drive the No. 49AdvilFord 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 in2006, and drove the season opening races in 2007 and 2008, for Cicci Racing andMSRP Motorsports respectively. In 2009, he drove forDavis Motorsports in the No. 0 Chevy at Bristol.
Grissom's son Kyle Grissom is also a racing driver, having competed in theARCA Racing Series.[2]
Grissom's father and team owner, Wayne, died on August 21, 2021, at age 86.[3]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | DNQ | |
| 1995 | 35 | 7 | ||
| 1996 | 26 | 27 | ||
| 1997 | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 | 40 |
| 1998 | 41 | 28 | ||
| 1999 | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | DNQ | |
| NASCARCraftsman Truck Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCTC | Pts | Ref | ||
| 2000 | Petty Enterprises | 43 | Dodge | DAY 10 | HOM 11 | PHO 7 | MMR 4 | MAR 5 | PIR 8 | GTY 6 | MEM 5 | PPR 21 | EVG 26 | TEX 15 | KEN 18 | GLN 12 | MLW 4 | NHA 14 | NZH 4 | MCH 16 | IRP 11 | NSV 5 | CIC 24 | RCH 9 | DOV 13 | TEX 28 | CAL 18 | 10th | 3113 | [38] | |||
| 2005 | Brevak Racing | 31 | Dodge | DAY | CAL | ATL DNQ | MAR | GTY | MFD | CLT | DOV | TEX | MCH | MLW | KAN | KEN | MEM | IRP | NSH | BRI | RCH | NHA | LVS | MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | N/A | - | [39] | ||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | NASCAR Busch Series Champion 1993 | Succeeded by |