Racer Profile: David Green

March 13, 2008

By Allen Madding

Allen Madding

The NASCAR Busch Series was sat on its ear in 1991 when David Green qualified on the pole in the season opening Goody’s 300 at Daytona. Green had made only three starts in the series prior to 1991 and had garnered little attention. But after setting on the pole in Wayne Day’s No. 16 31-W Insulation Oldsmobile at Daytona, suddenly everyone knew his name.

Green hailed from Owensboro, Kentucky and was born on January 28, 1958. Green started racing in go-karts and competed in the Southern Indiana Racing Association. Green won the Indiana State Championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976. In 1979, he won the National Karting Association Senior Class title.

In 1980, Green made the move from go-karts to full-size stock cars competing in the street stock division at the quarter-mile Kentucky Motor Speedway near his home of Owensboro. In his first street stock event, Green qualified on the pole and finished second. In his next four outings in the street stock division, Green scored four wins. Green stepped up to the Late Model Division in 1981. Green won the 1981 track championship at Kentucky Motor Speedway and at Highland Rim Speedway in the Late Model Division in 1981. He scored an amazing ten wins in the Late Model Division at Kentucky Motor Speedway in 1983.

Green dove into the deeper water of competition in 1984 by entering the American Speed Association All American 400 at Nashville. Green managed to qualify 20th of the 100 cars that showed and went on to finish 13th. With that experience, Green decided he could be more than just a local driver. He was certain he could compete with the big names in racing.

Green began working for Wayne Day and driving Day’s cars in the NASCAR All-American Challenge Touring Series. Green recorded six poles, five wins, and finished third in the series points twice. While working for Day, Green came to know Mike Alexander. Alexander was competing in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series and was buying his cars from Day. When Bobby Allison was injured in a wreck at Pocono, Alexander was selected to drive his car. Alexander asked Green to qualify his Busch car for him at Louisville, Kentucky. Soon Green was regularly qualifying Alexander’s Busch car whenever there was a schedule conflict.

At age 31, Green made his NASCAR Busch Grand National Series debut on July 22, 1989 at the .363-mile Hickory Motor Speedway competing in the Pepsi 200. Green qualified 15th driving Wayne Day’s No. 16 31-W Insulation Oldsmobile. He finished the event in 30th position after losing an engine 58 laps into the 200-lap event. Green had attempted to compete in the July fourth event at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but had suffered engine failure on the second lap of practice. Green returned to Busch Series competition in 1990 driving Day’s No. 16 at Hickory and at Richmond, but suffered transmission failures in both events.

Fil Martocci chose Green to drive his No. 8 TLC Financial Systems Oldsmobile in Busch Series competition for 1991. Green qualified for 29 of the season’s 31 events setting on the pole for the season opening Goody’s 300 at Daytona, finishing second in the Budweiser 250 at Bristol, and winning the Nestle 200 at Lanier Speedway in Gainesville, Georgia. Green racked up one pole, one win, six top fives and nine top tens during the 1991 season. He finished runner-up to Jeff Gordon in the 1991 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Rookie of the Year competition. Amazingly, after his impressive rookie season run, Green lost his ride with Martocci at the end of the 1991 season.

Green had met Bobby Labonte in his Busch Series outings and a friendship was formed. When Labonte learned that Green had lost his ride, he called and offered him a job working in his Busch Series team shop with the possibility of driving in the 1993 season. Green accepted.

In 1993 Green returned to Busch Series competition to drive Bobby Labonte’s No. 44 Slim Jim Chevrolet. The team was competitive right out of the box scoring the pole for the fourth event of the year, the Marks III Vans 200 at Darlington. By season’s end, Green had accumulated one pole, six top fives, and 16 top tens to finish third in the Busch Series Championship points. The team gained momentum in 1994 with Green setting nine poles, scoring a weird win in the Goody’s 250 at Bristol. Mark Martin was leading the event when a late race caution came out. It appeared the race would end under the yellow and Green would be locked into a second place finish. But Martin made a huge error. Several competitors pulled along side Martin on the backstretch while riding under the yellow with one lap to go to congratulate him on the win. Martin thought the race was over and turned onto pit road coming off turn four to make his way for Victory Lane. Green crossed the finish line and was declared the winner and Martin was scored the 11th place finisher.

Green added ten top fives and 14 top ten finishes with the one win. With that level of accomplishment, David Green captured the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Championship title for 1994.

In 1995, Green garnered four poles, a win in the Opryland USA 320 at Nashville Fairgrounds, four top fives, and six top tens. Dale Earnhardt selected Green to drive his No.76 Smith & Wesson Chevrolet in the newly formed NASCAR Super Truck Series for the GM Goodwrench / Delco Batteries 200 at Phoenix. Green qualified eighth and finished ninth.

In 1996, Green was hired by Buz McCall to drive the No. 95 Caterpillar Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. Green scored five poles, chalked up wins in the Sundrop 300 at Hickory and in the Carolina Pride / Red Dog 250 at Myrtle Beach along with 13 top fives and 18 top tens and finished runner-up in the Busch Series Championship.

McCall elected to move the team to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1997. The team found the transition a difficult one. Green qualified for 26 of the 32 events and failed to score a single top ten finish. The team soldiered on into the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Green failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 and then made 11 consecutive starts in the series with his highest finish an 17th at Talladega. Green and McCall parted ways. Green made three Busch Series starts driving Mac Martin’s No. 92 Kraft Chevrolet. He then assumed the driving duties for Scott Welliver’s No. 36 Stanley Tools Pontiac. Green would finish second at Myrtle Beach and recorded seven top fives and eight top tens. He returned to Winston Cup competition to drive Larry Hedrick’s No. 41 Kodiak Chevrolet in four events without a top ten finish.

Hedrick signed Green to drive the No. 41 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series fulltime for 1999. After failing to qualify for the Daytona 500, the team made 23 events with the best finish an 18th place at Dover. Green and Hedrick split company in the Winston Cup Series after Richmond. Green moved to Tim Beverly’s No. 45 10-10-345 Pontiac. Green qualified on the pole for the Pennzoil 400 at Miami-Homestead but failed to record a top ten finish. Green drove Hedrick’s No. 41 in the NASCAR Busch Series in 17 events in 1999. He sat on the pole at Charlotte and recorded one top five and seven top tens.

Green returned to fulltime Busch Series competition in 2000 driving Frank Cicci’s No. 34 AFG Glass Chevrolet. He finished second in the NAPA Autocare 250 at Pikes Peak in Colorado and recorded two top fives and 11 top tens. He made two Winston Cup Series starts driving Bill Elliott’s No.94 McDonald’s Ford while Elliott recovered from injuries.

In 2001, Green recorded six top tens in Cicci’s Busch car, but Green and Cicci parted ways at the end of the season. Green made 12 starts in the Busch Series in 2002 driving for four different teams recording three top fives and four top tens.

Clarence Brewer hired Green to drive the No. 37 Timber Wolf Pontiac and Chevrolet fulltime in the Busch Series for 2003. Green scored two poles, three wins, 11 top fives, and 21 top tens to finish runner-up in the Busch Series points. Green made two starts in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series driving Rick Hendrick’s No. 60 Haas Automation Chevrolet.

Green recorded one pole, six top fives, and 16 top tens in the Timber Wolf Pontiac and Chevrolet in the Busch Series in 2004. Brewer fielded the No. 27 Timber Wolf Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for Green in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond where Green finished 31st. In 2005, Green moved to Brewer’s No. 27 Kleenex Ford scoring a win in the Salute to the Troops 250 at Pikes Peak and recording three top fives and six top tens.

Green made 27 Busch Series starts in Brewer’s No. 27 Kleenex Ford in 2006. He recorded a ninth place finish in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix and a seventh place finish in the Busch Silver Celebration 250 at Gateway International Raceway at Madison, Illinois. For the season he recorded two top tens, finishing 23rd in the Busch Series points.

In 2007, 49-year-old Jeff Green’s NASCAR career was reduced to a part-time schedule in the Busch Series. He made three starts driving Bill Riley’s No. 91 YRT2.NET Toyota. He finished 11th in the Federated Auto Parts 300 at the Nashville Superspeedway. Green also competed in seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events in 2007 driving Tom DeLoach’s No. 1 RFMS Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra. He recorded a fifth place finish in the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

Career at a Glance:

11 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts in four years, one top five, and three top tens

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You can contact Allen Madding at .. Insider Racing News

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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