Super late model driver Larry Greer (9G) admitted this wasn’t one of his shining moments. It occurred during a heat race for Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Southern Series / Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals double-billing at Tazewell Speedway in Tennessee.
“It was definitely the lowest point of my career,” Greer, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, said. “I was a back marker that got in the way and knocked out a contender.”
That contender was Jonathan Davenport. Greer said he’s friends with Davenport and his crew chief Jason Durham. In fact, Greer raced a late model he had purchased from Davenport.
“I had a problem — my car got super loose,” said Greer. “There was only a couple of laps to go so I tried to ride it out. [Leader] Ricky [Weiss] zoomed by me, and then I heard a large ‘whump’ sound. It was an awful sound and an awful feeling. It was Jonathan into the back of my car.”
Greer has raced super late models since 2007, earning several wins over the course of that time. During the week he works at Larco Truck Repair in his hometown.
“Tazewell is so fast of a track that the lead cars came up on me in a split second,” Greer said. “I was off the pace and Jonathan did not see me because Ricky had just got by me. [Jonathan] tried to turn and then slid into me.”
Fortunately, both cars incurred minimal damage. Davenport qualified via provisional, starting 21st, to finish eighth in the feature. Greer failed to make the show via a B-main.
Larry Greer said he looks to call Davenport to apologize.
“I figured I’d wait a day or two,” said Greer. “I’m embarrassed for what happened. I got in the way and took out my buddy, costing him a chance to win that race. He and Jason do this full-time. I’m a weekend racer.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
