Steve Park

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Steve Park bigraphy, stories - American stock car racing driver

Steve Park : biography

August 23, 1967 –

Stephen Park (born August 23, 1967) is a professional race car driver. He won races in NASCAR’s two top Northeast touring series (Modified and K&N East) and all three national divisions (Truck, Nationwide, Cup).

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.

Post-NASCAR

In October 2012, Park spoke to ESPN in support of IMPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) and other neurological testing for drivers in the wake of his former teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being sidelined after sustaining a concussion at Talladega. Park himself was a victim of crashes that took him out of action.

NASCAR career

1996–1997

Steve Park was first hired by seven time Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt in 1996. Initially, Park refused to return Dale’s phone messages, who was calling with interest to hire Park, thinking his friends were pranking him. After finally being convinced that the real Dale Earnhardt was calling him, Park made one start in the #31 Busch Series car in Charlotte in October that resulted in a 29th place finish. Park was then given a full-time ride in 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.

1997–1999

Park came to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as the driver for the #14 Burger King team of Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) in 1997. He attempted eight races in this car, qualifying for four of them. He also ran a race in the #40 Coors Light car at Martinsville Speedway for Felix Sabates. In the 1998 season, Park switched to the #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet for DEI and drove the first two races, but he failed to qualify at the third race of the year at Las Vegas. During practice for the fourth event of the year at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Park suffered a tire failure and had three hard hits before his car came to rest. He sustained a broken leg, broken collarbone, broken shoulder blade, and two chipped front teeth. Park returned later in the year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ran the rest of the year. He posted a best finish of 11th at Michigan and Dover.

In 1999, his first of only two full Sprint Cup seasons, Park finished 30 of 34 races. He went out with handling problems at Daytona and Charlotte, an engine failure at the other Daytona race, and a crash at Sears Point. In the Sears Point crash, Park spun around in turn two and backed into an embankment, thrusting his car up into the air and over onto the top of a tire barrier. Park posted a best finish of sixth in the Kmart 400 at Michigan and finished 14th in the point standings.

2000–2001

During the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Park would grab his first win at his home track of Watkins Glen, winning the 2000 Global Crossing @ The Glen.

In 2001, Park’s year began with a frightening note in the Daytona 500, as his car was one of eighteen that were demolished in a pileup on lap 173 that also sent Tony Stewart flipping through the air. Park had led for several laps right before the crash. Although he was uninjured, Park pounded the roof of his car after climbing out. The crash would be overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt’s fatal crash on the last lap.

The following week, Park scored an emotional win for DEI by winning the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway. The same season, driving in the Busch Series, Park was involved in a crash at Darlington Raceway while driving the #31 Whelen Chevrolet owned by Ted Marsh. Under caution and still driving on the track, Park’s steering wheel came off, causing him to yank a hard 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 driver’s 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 traveling "well over 100 miles per hour." Park was left with noticeably slurred speech as a result of the accident and some have theorized that he never fully recovered from his injuries.