THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 28, 1996 TAG: 9609280535
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER AND SCOTT MICHAUX, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: 52 lines
Twelve races have passed since Steve Grissom was removed from Gary Bechtel's No. 29 Chevrolet. Now, Grissom, the 33-year-old former Busch Grand National champion, has found a ride for 1997.
Larry Hedrick announced Friday that Grissom has signed a multiyear contract with Hedrick Motorsports and will drive the No. 41 Kodiak Chevrolet beginning next year.
``I just can't wait until 1997 gets here,'' Grissom said.
Grissom started the season with Bechtel's team and posted three top-10 finishes. But he finished outside the top 20 in 10 of 14 races and failed to qualify for the April race at Martinsville.
Bechtel released Grissom after the first Michigan race in late June, and Grissom has not raced in a Winston Cup car since. He doesn't plan to drive until next season.
Even without a ride, Grissom has come to the tracks every weekend and has pounded the pavement, looking for a new ride.
``I eat, drink and sleep racing,'' he said. ``Even though I haven't been driving, I basically think about it all the time. Even though I haven't been running, I don't think it will take me long to get back in the groove.''
Grissom said the long layoff hasn't been easy for him and his family, but he tried not to let the situation get him down. Coming to the track every weekend was the only way he knew to get back in racing.
``If it didn't work out by December or 2001, I didn't want to say, `Maybe if Steve Grissom had put forth a little more effort, things might have worked out different.' I just wanted to do all I could.''
Ricky Craven, who currently drives the 41 car, said that he will announce next week his plans for the 1997 season. He is expected to join the Rick Hendrick team next year and replace Ken Schrader in the No. 25 Chevrolet.
TRUCK QUALIFYING: Johnny Benson Jr. holds the provisional pole position for today's Lowe's Home Improvement 250 NASCAR truck race.
A rain delay forced the trucks to qualify into the darkness, but five drivers were unable to run before it was too dark to drive. They will make qualifying runs at 8:30 a.m. today.
Benson ran a lap of 116.611 mph to edge out Mark Martin (116.207) for the fastest time. Mike Skinner, Rodney Combs and Bryan Reffner round out the top five.
PETTY'S PLANS: Kyle Petty is moving forward with plans to start his own race team next season, saying that he's ``real close'' to finalizing a deal with a sponsor.
``I'll know for sure on Monday,'' he said.
Petty said that his new team will have some kind of affiliation with Petty Enterprises, at least in its early stages.
``It'll start close, grow apart and then close up again,'' Petty said. ``It's complicated.'' by CNB