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      Stephen Brian Park was born in Islip Long Island N.Y., by the famous Islip Speedway were his father, Bob, started racing. He soon moved to East Northport Long Island N.Y. were he was raised and went to school. Steve was brought up in the world of auto racing; his father is a long-time Modified competitor. Steve took up go kart racing when he was about 10. He got his auto-racing career started at a local track, Riverhead Raceway, in Riverhead, New York. Bob was still racing at the quarter-mile Riverhead Raceway as late as 1997, before moving to North Carolina to begin working for DEI. Steve's Uncle, Bill Park, has also had a good Modified Career at Riverhead Raceway, winning the championship in 1997. Bob won one race on the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour, on 8/3/88. Steve had an outstanding career on the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour  from 1986 - 1996. See the Modified Page for more info. Before racing full time, he worked at an auto repair shop in Connecticut.

Stephen Brian Park

Hometown : East Northport, N.Y. (North Carolina now) Birthdate : August 23, 1967 Height : 6'2" Weight : 190 Parents : Bob and Dottie Park

      1996 was the first year Steve drove for the NASCAR Busch Series. He won two NASCAR Busch North Series races in only 11 starts. (on 6/2/96 & 7/1/96) He also came in second in the Rookie Points race. Steve ended up 201 points back. A great accomplishment when you consider had raced in 8 less races than the leader, and less than the next three on the list. He also tied for most wins by a rookie in the NASCAR Busch Grand National North Series. His first BGN race was at Charlotte, later in the '96 season. However, driving on the Winston Cup circut is what Steve always dreamed of accomplishing.

      On August 25, 1996, he qualified Joe Nemechek's Craftsman Series truck at Watkins Glen and grabbed the pole. Three months later, Steve signed on with DEI, replacing Jeff Green in the #3 AC Delco Chevrolet the following year. Steve has said that when he first received a message on his answering machine from Dale Earnhardt, he truly believed it to be a joke! His mom, a long time Earnhardt fan, had to convince him that the voice on the machine was the genuine article! By their second conversation, Dale "intimidated" him into calling him back... a decision Steve is most grateful he made.

      1997 was Steve's first full-year in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division. He signed an initial 3 year deal which gave him the Busch ride for 2 years, with the option to go to Winston Cup the third year. In his first year of the contract, he was given the opportunity to run 5 WC races, and then it was announced shortly after that Steve would be Dale & Teresa's first full-time WC driver for DEI in 1998. In Sept. 1997 Pennzoil announced they were signing a 3 year deal to sponsor Steve on the Winston Cup Circut (starting in '98), replacing the Burger King sponsorship.

      1998 began with all the media hype you could possibly dream of. Steve was certainly caught up in a whirlwind of exposure and attention. The competition between him and Kenny Irwin was promoted as one of the big events of the year, with the entire group of rookies being hailed as one of the greatest ever. As talented as Kenny is, it seemed that the early predictions were more often going to Steve as the probable winner of the 1998 Winston Cup rookie of the year. However on March 6th Steve was the victim of a horrifying crash during practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He suffered from a broken right femur, broken right shoulder blade, broken left collarbone, and two chipped front teeth. It also side-lined him for 17 races, half the season, virtually eliminating him from competition. It was a hard year, but Steve came through it with strength and grace, returning to the sport he loves at the Brickyard 400 in August. Darrell Waltrip stepped into the car during Steve's absence, and made great strides with the team to prepare the ride for Steve's return. The year is chronicled on the 1998 Winston Cup page.

      The 1999 season is in full swing now, and it will certainly be an exciting one to watch. Not only will it be Steve's first full year in Winston Cup, but his DEI teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be running 5 races this year as well. He will be in the #8 Bud car, with race stripes on the sides to match the #1 Pennzoil car. The strength of a two car team can only help, and it should be an exciting rookie of the year race for Little E in 2000! Steve has faced his demons in Atlanta, now passing the one year anniversary. Now it's time to let the issue go, and not only concentrate on the rest of his Winston Cup career, but to revel in what will surely be an awesome career!

Looking for Steve Park merchandize? Sports Image, Inc. is the merchandize supplier for Steve. You can contact them by either calling Motorsports by mail at 1-800-338-6016 or visiting their website at www.motorsportsbymail.com. If you're looking for die cast cars, call Racing Collectables at 1-800-952-0708. You can also visit www.action-performance.com for more information.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
1675 Coddle Creek Highway
Mooresville, NC 28115
(704) 662-8000
(704) 663-7945 Fax
Owner: Teresa Earnhardt

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