Larry Pearson

Larry Pearson (born November 2, 1953 ) is a retired American NASCAR racing driver. The son of three-time Winston Cup champion David Pearson , he won the championship in the Busch Grand National Series , now the Nationwide Series, in 1986 and 1987.

Career

Larry Pearson started his career in professional motorsport on May 29, 1982 in the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series , now the Nationwide Series, in the Mello Yello 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway . He drove a number 21 Pontiac owned by his father, David Pearson . In the same year he took part in two other races, both of which he finished eighth. In the following two years Pearson drove several races over the season, which he was able to finish with quite good results.

In the 1985 season, Pearson competed for the first time all season races and was third in the overall standings behind Jimmy Hensley and Jack Ingram . It only won two races, but it put the car in the top 10 in almost every race. 1986 Pearson increased something so that it was enough to win the title. But the lead over the runner-up in the overall standings was only seven points. The 1987 season went even better for Pearson and he won the title with ease. The next one was the last for him as a full-time driver. Up until then, he had driven almost every race in which he took part in his father's number 21.

In 1989 he competed in his first Winston Cup season as a full-time driver. As in the Busch Grand National Series, he drove for his father's team. He drove a number 16 Buick , but it wasn't as successful as hoped. He only managed to get the car into the top 10 twice. In the overall standings it was only enough for 23rd place. In the years to come, he drove only a few cup races in which he did not achieve anything remarkable. On November 17, 1991, Pearson contested his last cup race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway .

In 1993 Pearson returned to the Busch Grand National Series, but no longer drove in his father's team. He could no longer build on his old achievements. In the 1995 season, Pearson won two more races, but the season in general was rather mixed. The 1996 season, his last as a full-time driver, he finished in 16th place overall, which was not acceptable for him. On July 12, 1999, he ended his racing career at South Boston Speedway .

Web links

Driver statistics on racing-reference.info