The Scene Vault Podcast -- Larry McReynolds on Loss of Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan Near-Fatal Injury

NOTE: This is a remastered version of a previously released episode featuring better sound quality.
In this powerfully emotional episode, Larry McReynolds remembers the devastating loss of his best friend, Davey Allison, and the life-threatening injuries sustained by Ernie Irvan the very next year.
NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.
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[@deantait8326]

I was very involved during this period and Especially with Ernie and Robert. I don’t want to experience this again. Of course, Nothing like Larry and those directly involved but still tough.

[@g-mang-man7924]

I was at the Richmond spring 1993 race. Damn I miss Davey

[@vapinbachelor289]

Who doesn't love Larry Mack Reynolds...😂

[@markschertzer9976]

Excellent story teller of excellent stories ! Thanks Larry Mac !

[@joshstrickland3886]

Sad day for our small town. Love Larry Mac awesome guy.

[@tommysimmons5266]

I was a Truck Driver in 93, and had a Load to Birmingham from Atlanta. I decided to sleep at the Race Track exit Sunday night/Monday morning July of 93. Found out while on my way to Atlanta when I stopped at the Texaco Truck Stop at the 178 exit I think. Track is at the 181 185 exit. What sucked is I was heading north on I-81 March of 93 when Alan crashed on the side of the southbound hillside.

[@rickcooper6817]

Wow! Great interview Rick. Larry McReynolds is the man.

[@EricCox4848]

I never thought Yates and Larry Mac could go through so much after coming so close to a championship in 1992 with Davey and losing him the very next year, and then Ernie Irvan nearly getting killed, and struggling a little with Dale Jarrett until they finally got a win at Pocono and Ernie coming back. Just hearing all of this makes you think about what could have been and how good things were for these guys. They had a good thing it's just been tragedy, struggles, and different things that happened. Every time I see anything with a Texaco star or a 28, I'll always think Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan, or Robert Yates and Larry McReynolds.

[@mountainmandale1587]

Damn. Such a sad story!😢

[@kevinmckenzie7043]

Same great content now with higher quality audio!

[@jefferyrobertson7520]

Larry Mcreynolds Was Left Number 26 Quaker State Buick At The End Of 1993 Season Thanks For Uploading Rick And Steve

[@joshowenby6408]

He joined Yates in 1991.

[@jefferyrobertson7520]

@@joshowenby6408 Really

[@ClarkBoyzRacing]

Listen to part one where Larry talks about his time with Davey, he joined RYR in 91

[@reidhagler3651]

Love larry Mac he has been through so much when he was at Robert Yates racing I have no idea how he and Robert and the Yates team made it through so many highs and lows during 92 thru 95 with everything they had happen with the team losing 92 title and Davey passed away suddenly in 93 and then ernie got hurt in 94 and spent 95 with dale Jarrett in the 28 until ernie came back in the 28 in 96 he finally won Michigan 97 He was hell of good crew chief and helped dale Earnhardt get his 98 Daytona 500 win too! He made the 26 car a winning team in 88 and has had a good tv career with fox sports

[@toddsavage8866]

Hated Lake didn’t get to drive Darlington after such a good test. Would have liked to see him finish the year in the 28. Horrible how Ernie left the 4 car. Watch Larry McClure’s interview with Rick on here. Was a real jerk about it per McClure.

[@JackCallSports]

I mean like I get wanting to drive a championship caliber car I get wanting to drive for it But treat the guy who take a chance on you with so much respect

[@billcary30]

this video is so sad but i'll add some commentary from my life. i'd grown up a cale yarborough fan (for his appearances on dukes of hazzard) and a bit of a bobby alison fan. when davey took over ofr cale in 87 i thought le'ts see what he can do. became a fan real fast. i sitll remember my parents owning a restaurant in 87 i'm in the dishpit working, and dad comes by there in a hurry yells "bobby flipped at talledega i'm grabbing stuff u want to go home and find out what happened be in car in 2 minutes. (we lived like on the other side of the county from the business. 2 minutes later he came back and said you're not ready i said dad i barely heard what u said. he repeated it and we went. anyways back to davey. so 92 i was so pulling for him with the (pardon my french) hell his body went through in 92 i'm like please let him pull this out. and then he didn't. so i started rooting for alan for the race becasue well bill's got a championship let alan get his (no offense to elliot fans but that's usually how i thought at time.) alan wins i'm like nice. 5 plus months later alan's gone. and i'm actually really ahppy for him he got his moment in the sun before he died. i don't know what we were diog that day but i think we'd gotten home from something or somewhere, and i go in my room and either mom or dad turned on the news and dad comes in and says you need to see this. and u jsut knew by the expression on his face it was bad. you didn't know how bad but you knew it was bad and likely to get worse. then the next morning davey's gone and i'm sitting htere thinking, when do i wake up? when does this nightmare end. ok i wasn't a big alan fan but he'd earned my respect especially as stories were still coming out about th e91 deal with hooters, and 92 year he'd put togehter , etc. and at some point was probably starting to root for him like davey. well fast forward another year plus and now it's 94. now just a bit of back ground on my perspective. I'd gotten accepted at a college in ny staete (we live in tn) and we were up there the weekend ernie got hurt to get me started on the work program at that college. friday was first day saturday second. i go thurt (ended up tearing an acl) and so sunday i was a mess. monday some of us went of campus to a little diner kind of a s a get to know each other. and either they had t he news on or i saw a headline and i panic. 9remember preinternet). cause now with davey gone i'd started rooting for ernie since he was in the 28. now i'm really beginning to wonder if this nitghtmare was ever going to end. lsot alan lost davey i'm sitting their with a mesed up knee and ernie may be about to be dead. and yes i know my acl wasn't near as important bu tthat was all running through my mind. i'm just a fan. i'm nota race car guy, or a car guy, never had any afilliation in any way shape or form with nascar or any team. i can just imagine a guy like robert or larry, wondering what's going to happen next, please just let this be a bad dream, etc. i don't think anybody would have blamed either of htem for hanging it up and selling off the team and riding into the sunset. everybody talks about how dale dieing in 01 made them quit watching nascar, and thought that was dumb till i realized i nearly did the same thing in 94. i guess the irony of all this is not knowing at some point dale might have ended pu in the 28 or 88. i didn't know that then nor most i'd say. but just a bit of perspective on this looking back. 93 he's trying to replace a good friend and help robert out probably. remember while he was putting a good year together in 93, 92 had been horrible. his worse points finish as a full time driver except for 81 where he switched teams in the middle of the year. but igrnoing that. what happeneid in 95? he starts running his busch team full time with jeff green. now i'm not saying he was already planning on bringinng it to cup, but he did just 3 years later full time. he's 44 in 93 45 in 94 46 in 95. so is he already thinking about a cup team in the future? what's his contract status with childress? was his deal up and he was just exploring options? was he such a loyal friend to davey he thought i'll do fo tthat team what davey couldn't? or some combo of all that. when larry mentioned the million dollars i thought was that a ploy to see how serious they were? was it aploy to see what he could get from childress? both? ok i'm not saying he was wrong, if he's at end of his contract or willing to do what ever it takes to get out of his deal no problem. ernie did the same thing in 93 which led to some of the issues with morgan mcclure. i forget now but i think ernie had signed an extension either prior to 92 season or 93. i'm going to guess maybe 93. he went to mcclure in 89 and most back then were 3 year deals so he signs in 89 for three years 92 he does antoher one 93 maybe start talking about futrure already. obviously he's not leaving mcclure in 93 if davey doesn't die he'd just won a race a few months earlier. was top 10 in points not like he'd fallen off the map and wanted out fo rhtat reason. back to dale. he replaces davey or ernie. what happens does he die7 years earlier? does he end up in that wreck in 94. how does that change tha landscape in nascar from then on. it would anyways cause who's going to end up in the 3? i look back at 92-95 as some of the screwiest parts of nascar history as far as contracts mvoing of drivers and stuf. even ignoring davey and alan's deaths and ernie's inuries. 92 ford comes up with moeny for jeff gordon and evernham. they stay at davis. does hendrick start a third team anyways. oh that also affects bobby labonte since he ends up in the 22 instead. waitif that's the only thing different that still changes stuff. because then 93 and 94 play out the same. does bobby labonte end up in the 28? does gordon? does dale? casue that's all effected to. gordon doesn't endu p at ehdndirck with or without davey and alan's death we got a whole new ball game i think

[@charlesd.3749]

Legend.

[@mrbigw100]

When Larry is saying Robert who is that

[@evanwilliams6406]

Robert Yates the owner of the #28 car. Larry's boss.

[@brookscarter1691]

I met Davey June 20 1993 at Mich race I ended up with fender off the car Davey sat with me at John Lafeere house and we talked for hrs about racing and life. I have pic of me sitting with him