In 1977 a skinny young man took to the dirt at Tazewell Speedway in a 1966 Pontiac GTO. During his first race the excited young man found himself having a chance meeting with the small guardrail intended to keep him safely on the racing surface; however, the rail didn't quite do its intended purpose. Larry Burke opened his eyes to see the infamous pond that lies behind the backstretch wall. On his first outing he suffered a crash that would convince a seasoned driver to give it up. Larry Burke didn't. He drove his '66 GTO with a 400 and 4 speed transmission to start his assault on legendary status at his hometown track.

A couple of years later he came across a chassis once driven in NASCAR's late model sportsman class during a race at the famous Daytona Speedway. The chassis was driven by Connie Saylor in the 1976 Daytona 500. He molded a 1966 Nova body to the Chevelle chassis and the rest was history.

His best memories of the Taz were by far during the years of 1980-81 in which he took that car and won an astounding 27 out of 31 races. On the 31st race he finished the event on three wheels after one had been knocked off after contact with another car. The unprecedented streak helped him secure two track championships in the Bomber class.

Over the years he has won close to 100 races at the Taz. In 1982 he stopped racing but his love for the sport got him back in a car in 1991. In the late 90's it looked like he was going to regain some of the old magic. While driving for Wayne Overholt and leading the race he had his least favorite moment. He was "rubbed" on by Randy Cabbage spoiling his races both times.

For a man who got interested in racing by helping Jim Arnwine and later nicknamed "Goat" by Lee Love for driving that smooth GTO, Larry has been a fixture at the Taz for many years. With his battles with Earl Cox still fresh in his mind he takes to the high banks each week. He still drives a black and gold 54 that takes him and Taz fans back to his old dominating Nova on a weekly basis at the Taz. Once sponsored by D-L automotive and Jack's Gulf he now has Rockin' R farms and Torbett Auto adorning his machine. His family and friends jokingly say of Goat that the he predates the dirt at Tazewell Speedway by two days but just like a '66 GTO, you just can't beat him and his help-all personality.

Larry Burke wishes to thank Jim Arnwine, Lawrence Duncan, Donnie Noe, Gary Brooks and his entire family for helping him over the many years. Larry still has enough talent in his slim frame to recapture some of the old glory so don't be surprised if you see the black and gold 54 in the Claiborne Progress as winner of an upcoming modified street winner.

Larry Burke's dominating car from the 1980's

Larry Burke's #54 goes around Tazewell Speedway

Charlie Cox hands Burke a trophy for one of his 27 wins.

If you know of a local legend you would like to have featured in the Claiborne Progress contact Allen Earl at pitchadude@hotmail.com or call 423-526-3480.