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NASCAR BGN: Day At The Beach Becomes Tidal Wave Of Success For Green, Holly

6 June 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

(Mooresille, NC) Often, when people meet at the beach during the summer, their relationships do not endure more than the course of the vacation. However, Jeff Green, driver of the Nestl NesQuik Chevrolet on the NASCAR Busch Series, had one special "date" during the summer of 1994 that turned into an enduring relationship, but it would take almost five years to blossom.

In June of 1994, Green was working on fellow Owensboro, KY native, Michael Waltrips NBS team. Green had competed in 25 NBS events prior to the summer, but did not have a full-time ride at the time.

Fellow NBS competitor, Chad Little, had broken his shoulder during the Charlotte event in May and needed someone to substitute for him for the Myrtle Beach event. Green was asked if he would be up to the task and he immediately accepted. Little started the event and at the first caution, Green hopped in the car. He had to drive it from the back of the field because they lost so many positions under caution making the driver change, but Green managed to pull out a fifth-place finish with a team he had never worked with before.

"Not many teams produce a top-five finish on their first outing together," said Green. "Usually it takes awhile for a team to gel, to understand one another, but we clicked right from the start."

This spark was apparent to crew chief, Harold Holly, as well. When Greg Pollex started a new NBS team in 1999, he hired Holly to be the crew chief and asked Holly who he wanted to drive the car. Hollys first and only reply was, "Jeff Green."

"Jeff and I knew from that weekend in Myrtle Beach that we worked well together and that doesnt come around very often," said Holly. "We decided that if the opportunity ever arose for us to work together again, wed take it."

Pollex, who owned Littles team in 1994, offered Green a full-time NBS ride for 1999 with Holly as the crew chief. Three other team members from the summer of 1994 would reunite to turn wrenches for Holly with Green behind the wheel. The combination was magic, and in their first season together they produced three wins, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s in 31 starts. Green recorded his highest points finish ever in the Busch series, finishing second.

One of the three wins occurred at Myrtle Beach, the site of where it all started.

"Harold Holly has become one of my best friends," said Green. "It is not very often when you have this kind of chemistry both on and off the track. I trust him completely, even if he says something is white and I know it is black, and he is the same way with me. I know this trust and faith in one another is what sets us apart from the other competitors and is one of the factors why we are performing so well."

Green and his NesQuik Racing team will return to Myrtle Beach Speedway to defend their win on Saturday, June 17th.

Text provided by Marcy Scott

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