Veteran Racer David Starr Emotional After First Top-10 Finish in 7 Years
On Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, an eighth-place finish was enough to bring a 56-year-old racer to tears. And for good reason.
David Starr, who once upon a time was a prolific racer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ranks, where he recorded four victories and two top-five finishes in the championship standings in a five-year stretch in the early 2000s, has just been trying to cling to his dream of wheeling race cars around the track in the NASCAR National Series in recent years.
Despite bouncing around from underfunded operation to underfunded operation over the last decade or so, miraculously Starr has remained in the mix as a full-timer in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2017 to 2019, and as a part-time driver in recent seasons. Even more miraculous, the competitive fire remained lit deep within Starr.
As the native of Houston, Texas climbed from his SS-GreenLight Racing machine on Saturday evening after securing his first top-10 finish in seven years, he couldn't help but flash the competitiveness spirit that made him such a force in the NASCAR Truck Series two decades ago.
"Well, once you're out there, you want more, you know what I mean? It's interesting and cool to be disappointed with eighth, but we did the best we could do. You know, when you're that close, you want it," Starr said to Racing America on SI as he fought tears welling up in his eyes.
Talladega, a 2.66-mile superspeedway where the draft serves as the great equalizer between the top-tier teams that dominate on a weekly basis and the teams fighting from 10th to 30th, has always been prone to Cinderalla stories throughout the years. On Saturday, the track delivered once again, but it wasn't all the track's doing.
Starr had to execute a flawless dash toward the front over the final few circuits around the track. And the 26-year veteran of NASCAR was smack-dab in the middle of the pack as two multi-car melees ensued in the final Stage of the race.
When the biggest crash of the race broke out on Lap 93, Starr was sitting around the 15th position and was biding his time in the high lane, when all of a sudden, the unthinkable happened. A bump draft gone wrong between JR Motorsports teammates Carson Kvapil and Brandon Jones sent both drivers skidding hard into the outside lane, directly into the path of Starr.
IT’S THE BIG ONE AT TALLADEGA!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 5, 2024
DESTRUCTION in a matter of seconds, taking out several #NASCARPlayoffs drivers for the Xfinity Series. pic.twitter.com/4FhzdS85QR
Starr took evasive action as he moved his No. 14 Chevrolet Camaro slightly to the inside of the carnage to avoid being swept up, and as he turned his car to the left, it was like the seas parted, and Starr emerged from the smoke unscathed. How did he make it through the chaos?
"You just -- there's a country song that says, Jesus take the wheel, there you go. That's it," a teary-eyed Starr chuckled.
While his on-track racing career has slowed down over the last few seasons, Starr has filled his time by running his own driving school at Texas Motor Speedway. Ultimately, the driver hopes to extend his seasons in the sport as a driver to 30 years before he finally decides to retire.
Saturday's great finish will play a big role in whether or not Starr can squeeze another four to five years out of his career.
"Yeah, it's big. I've been blessed more than I deserve for 26 years. Pretty cool," Starr, who was overcome with emotion at this point, stated.
There were a lot of hugs, tears, and heartstring tugging moments in the scenes on pit road following Saturday's United Rentals 250. While the main focus was on the front of the pack as Sammy Smith won the race to advance to the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, the emotions displayed by Starr, his race team, and his family in the moments after Saturday's race is what Talladega is all about.
Perhaps we'll get another underdog story in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega.
Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.