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Steve Park (NASCAR)
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Stephen Park (born August 23, 1967 in East Northport, New York) is a professional race car driver. Park is currently racing in the #35 Waste Management Recycle America Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Camping World East Series 2008.
Park began racing not in an entry-level class, but in NASCAR Modifieds on Long Island as the son of longtime National Modified Championship contender Bob Park. After establishing himself in weekly Modified racing at Riverhead Raceway, he advanced to the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series.
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Encyclopedia
Stephen Park (born August 23, 1967 in East Northport, New York) is a professional race car driver. Park is currently racing in the #35 Waste Management Recycle America Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Camping World East Series 2008.
Park began racing not in an entry-level class, but in NASCAR Modifieds on Long Island as the son of longtime National Modified Championship contender Bob Park. After establishing himself in weekly Modified racing at Riverhead Raceway, he advanced to the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series. He won several races and became a championship contender before moving on to the Busch Series. Park is very notable for his crash percentage of 58.38% in his Sprint Cup career, and he has never finished a Daytona 500.
NASCAR Career
1996-1997
Steve Park was first hired by seven time Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt in 1996. Initially, Steve refused to return Dale's phone messages, expressing interest in hiring Steve, thinking his friends were pranking him. After finally being convinced that Dale Earnhardt was calling him, Steve made one start in the #31 Busch Series car in Charlotte in October that resulted in a 29th place finish. Steve was then given a full time ride Dale's #3 AC-Delco car for the 1997 Busch Series season where he posted 3 wins and walked away with Rookie of the Year honors.
1998-1999
Steve came to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as the driver for the start-up #1 Pennzoil team of Dale Earnhardt. In the 1998 season, Park drove five races until an injury from a hard crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway sidelined him. Park returned later in the year.
2000-2001
During the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Park would grab one win at his home track of Watkins Glen winning the 2000 Global Crossing @ The Glen. In 2001, Park scored an emotional win for DEI by winning the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway, as Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash the week before at Daytona. While driving in the Busch Series, Park was involved in a bizarre crash at Darlington Raceway while driving the #31 Whelen Chevrolet owned by Ted Marsh. Under caution, something broke in Park's steering causing him to veer left. By complete chance, lap down car Larry Foyt was speeding up to join the lap down line at the same time Park turned.Park was T-boned on the drivers side upon collision with Foyt's car. The severity of the crash caused a massive brain injury as well as several broken ribs.Foyt said that the car was "well over 100 miles per hour". Many believe that Park has not fully recovered from this injury.
2002
Nevertheless, he returned to racing six races in the 2002 season and had many accidents, including a flip at Pocono Raceway when he drove into, and was turned by, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and hit the infield barrier with tremendous velocity, barrel rolling several times. The race had a lengthy red flag to repair the old-fashioned highway barrier that Park hit.
2003
During the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. let Park go midway into the season, and he was effectively "traded" to Richard Childress Racing for Jeff Green, who took over the #1 car from Park with Park taking over the #30 AOL car for Childress. A few days later, he won the pole for the Winston All Star Open, but at the start of the race he jumped the start and had to start from the rear. He never made it to the next round. His best finish at RCR was a 5th place finish at Michigan that June, as he fought then teammate Robby Gordon for that position.
2004
At the end of the 2003 season, Park announced he would not return to the #30 AOL car and would join the Craftsman Truck Series the following season. He joined Las Vegas-owned team Orleans Racing and piloted the #62 truck, vacated by Brendan Gaughan who was offered a ride in the #77 Kodak Nextel Cup car for Penske Racing. Although Steve never won a race in 2004, he finished 9th in CTS driver points, and was voted Most Popular Driver by his peers.
2005
In 2005 Park won the Craftsman Truck Series American Racing Wheels 200, the second race of the season at California Speedway, and became the tenth driver to win a race in all three of NASCAR's top racing series. However, Park and the team struggled the rest of the season, and in October, right before the truck race in Martinsville, Steve Park and Orleans Racing parted ways due to Dodge pulling support and money to many truck teams.
2008
In 2008 Park signed with NDS Motorsports and drove the #35 Waste Management Recycle America Monte Carlo in all 13 of the NASCAR Camping World East Series events. He finished 9th in the standings with his best finish being 2nd place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
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