Gritty Grissom

Steve Grissom’s world seems to go around in circles.

Of course, that’s because he’s paid to drive NASCAR Winston Cup cars, Busch Grand National cars and Craftsman trucks at high speeds around oval tracks.

But then, his career has been going in circles too.

In 1993 he won the Busch series title with 11 victories, one in the prestigious Goody’s 300 at Daytona International Speedway. That earned him a Winston Cup ride with Diamond Ridge Motorsports. Now, he’s trying to get back to that series.

Next year, Petty Enterprises has Grissom programmed to return to Busch Grand National, the series he won seven years ago on his way to the top of the NASCAR ladder.

“The dream and the goal have never changed,” he said. “Winston Cup is where I want to be. I have been there before and I know I can do well. All your life you wait to drive in Winston Cup and as long as I’m with Petty, I feel I’ll get a second chance.

“This year they had an opening to do trucks. Next year it’s the Busch car. That’s fine with me.”

Grissom will be driving the Petty Dodge truck in Saturday’s season-ending 100-lap race at California Speedway.

Greg Biffle, in a Grainger Ford, already has clinched the championship, but there is a lot at stake from second on back. Rookie Kurt Busch of Las Vegas is second with 3,416 points, only 418 more than 10th-place Bryan Ruffner, who won the last race in Texas.

“It’s going to be a race within a race,” Grissom said. “Some guys will be going all-out, looking for a win, and some will be making sure they finish to protect their position in the points.

“I want to win. We need one, and a win would be the easiest way for us to move up the standings.”

Grissom, who is ninth, is the only driver in the top 10 without a victory.

In 136 Winston Cup starts in six years with a variety of owners, his best results were a pair of fourth-place finishes. After a disappointing 1999 when he drove six races for three teams, the 37-year-old Alabama driver joined Petty Enterprises to drive a Dodge truck this season.

He also has filled in as driver of the team’s Winston Cup car, the No. 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac. The opportunity arose when team owner Kyle Petty chose to honor the memory of his son Adam, who was killed while practicing at New Hampshire Speedway last May, by finishing the year in Adam’s Busch car.

Grissom did not relinquish his truck ride, however. Two weeks ago, he drove the team truck at Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, then flew to Talladega, Ala., to drive the Cup car Sunday.

And he also has been doing yeoman work in testing the new Dodge Winston Cup car, which will debut next year.

“The engineers probably think we didn’t do enough testing, but from my viewpoint, I would say we did a lot,” Grissom said. “We started at Homestead [Fla.] in late April and right out of the box, the car ran real good, taking into consideration it was its first time on the track.

“With what we learned there, who took it to Kentucky Motor Speedway and worked some more. Bill Elliott, Casey Atwood and Kyle also tested some. I feel like it will be competitive by the time we get to Daytona [in February].”

Doubling up as a driver has never bothered the 6-foot-3, 215-pound former high school football star.

“When I got out of high school [in Gadsden, Ala.], I had a lot of opportunities for a college football scholarship, but racing was all that was on my mind,” he said. “I knew what I wanted to do, no question about it.”

He played on the offensive line and at linebacker.

“I love racing and would do it every night,” he added. “They could put 50 races on the schedule for next year and I wouldn’t care. Shoot, I’m a race driver. That’s my job.”

Trucks will qualify Friday at 12:45 p.m., with the race Saturday at 1 p.m.