MBNA Platinum 400 Michigan 400 Pocono 500 Save Mart/Kragen 350K

June 4 - 6, 1999

      Steve has been looking forward to coming to "The Monster Mile" all week for many reasons. His recent successes are certainly among the top reasons. In the last 3 races Park has run in the top 5 -- including leading the Coca-Cola 600 for 84 laps. Dover Downs also holds special meaning for Steve as it is one of the two tracks where he has earned his career best finish of 11th. Being close to his fan base in the Northeast is always important as well. Read Steve's thoughts before the race.

      The team took to the track for the first time on Friday morning for the first round of practice. Steve's was 27th fastest after running only 5 laps, turning a fast lap time of 23.004 (156.494 mph). The race track tightened up by the time the teams were set to qualify, and all the speeds dropped a little bit. Park was the 25th driver to qualify and turned a lap at 23.048 (156.196 mph). It was the 16th fastest speed at the time. With only 4 drivers left to run, rookie Elliott Sadler turned a lap fast enough to bump Steve from the bubble. His time ended up being 28th fastest, strong enough to stand on for second round qualifying.

      Bobby Labonte took his 4th pole position of the season with another record-breaking qualifying run Friday. He tuned a time of 22.596 (159.320 mph). Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Kenny Wallace, and Kevin LePage round out the top-5 starting positions. Three drivers surpassed Steve's time during 2nd round qualifying, relegating him to the 31st position. He will start on the inside of row 16 for the MBNA Platinum 400.

      Friday afternoon's practice session went much better for the team. Their fastest lap was clocked at 22.914 (157.061 mph). Despite the improvement in speed, time was still better spent on Saturday preparing the race setup. The am practice session found Steve 27th fastest with a time of 23.638 (152.297 mph).

      NASCAR extended "happy hour" to 90 minutes Saturday afternoon to give teams a chance to scuff tires. Tire wear is an issue here, and the tires are stronger once scuffed. Steve ran a total of 74 laps during the final practice session, picking up a little speed most of the times he was on the track. He ended up worth the 33rd fastest lap at 23.763 seconds (151.496 mph). Again, speed was not the biggest concern of this session.

      Starting in 31st left Steve with a lot of ground to make up. With the drop of the green flag he poured on the heat, moving up two positions by lap 2. He gained another 2 spots the next lap, followed by one more position on lap 4. The first caution of the day came out when Ken Schrader and Dick Trickle spun out separately, allowing Steve to pick up 2 more positions.

      Racing resumed on lap 14, and just four laps later Park passed Jerry Nadeau after he tapped the wall. Jeff Burton had been moving up from the back of the field, and was able to make the move around Steve a few laps later. Park fluctuated positions for quite some time, and by lap 79 race leader Mark Martin was making the move to put Steve a lap down.

      Martin made several strong attempts to pass Steve, but he held him off each time. On lap 90 Martin finally made the move that put Steve a lap down. The first round of pitting had begun, and Park came in by lap 95. All the teams made their stops by lap 98, and Steve was back on the lead lap at that point. Teammates Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart pushed past Mark Martin, with Tony eventually taking the race lead. Despite moving up to 16th place, Stewart finally caught and passed Steve on lap 125.

      When the 2nd caution of the day came out on lap 162 Steve was still in 17th place. Steve lost some time in the pits during the caution, and restarted the race in 20th on lap 175. By lap 250 Steve had gained 2 positions, but Stewart was right behind him once again. It only took 5 laps for Stewart to make the pass around him in turn 3. The drivers were forced to pit again under the green flag, and once everyone made their stop Steve was up to 16th place.

      Shortly after pit stops were completed the yellow flag fell a total of 3 more times in a very short period of time. A lot of positions changed within that period of time, as teams made individual decisions as to when to come in. When racing resumed on lap 296 Steve was in the 14th position. He was right behind race leader Dale Jarrett, but was unable to get around him to get a lap back.

      The race went green the rest of the way. Everyone except for Bobby Labonte knew they would have to come in one last time for at least a splash of gas. On lap 283 Steve made a 2-tire stop that dropped him from 13th to 19th. His fresh tires helped him to move into 16th before the checkers flew. Park was 4 laps down in the end, with only 2 cars remaining on the lead lap.

June 11 - 13, 1999

      NASCAR heads north this week to the Irish hills of Michigan for the Kmart 400. Steve has had his share of successes at Michigan Speedway, including one of his rookie season wins in the Busch series. This is also one of two tracks, along with Dover Downs, where Steve scored his career best finish of 11th.

      Steve began this week by testing at Pocono, where he was rumored to have the fastest time. He topped that off with a strong showing in the first practice session here Friday morning. Park's fastest time was a 38.625 second lap (186.407 mph) -- the 3rd fastest of the session!

      Ten different drivers sat on the provisional pole before Steve made his lap. He drew a late starting spot of 34th. His time of 38.709 (186.003 mph) put him solidly in the top-10 for the 3rd time this season. Excitement was evident in Steve's voice as he spoke on MRN radio. This team has pulled together in such a short time to make the turnaround they needed.

      Steve starts Sunday's race in 10th hoping to come home with a career best finish. Fuel mileage often determines the winner at this 2-mile track, just as it did for him in 1997. Watch for Park to run a consistent race so that he can finish in the top-10. Filling out the top-10 starting positions are pole-sitter Jeff Gordon, Ernie Irvan, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader, Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, Ward Burton, and Joe Nemechek.

      The Pennzoil team's dreams to walk away from Michigan with a career best finish for driver Steve Park have come true. Their top-10 starting position put Steve in position to be able to achieve it -- a consistent race made it reality. Park stayed in the top-10 for the entire race.

      This year fuel mileage didn't determine the leader. Instead, just remaining on the track was the key. Dale Jarrett set a blistering record breaking pace and it was all Steve could do to hang on to the lead lap. He lost the battle on lap 161, finishing the race the first car one lap down.

      Steve took a strong jump at the start of the race, moving up to 7th place by lap 2. Tight racing put him down to 10th again 20 laps into the race. From there he slowly and consistently moved up through the field a position at a time. Park was up to 6th place by the time he came into the pits for the first time on lap 50.

      A slower pit stop pushed him down a couple of positions once everyone had pitted where he remained through his next pit stop on lap 102. The field had spread out under green flag racing keeping Steve in 8th place after pitting. He was 3/4 of a lap behind the leader, and the only hope of closing in would be a caution. The yellow flag never came out.

      Shortly after the final round of pit stops Steve lost the battle to remain on the lead lap. Steve went door to door with Rusty Wallace until he could cleanly pass him 3 laps later to remain the first car one lap down. Bill Elliott broke an oil line shortly after, moving Steve into 6th place. With 25 laps to go Park went 3 wide with Michael Waltrip and Kevin LePage. No positions were in jeopardy, but had it not been for clean racing Steve might not have made it through in tact. He cruised on to his career-best finish of 6th without a viable chance to break into the top-5.

      Steve greeted the press with a smile on his face as wide as the track. When asked if he was tired after running the longer than he's ever run under green Park said he hardly noticed there hadn't been any cautions. He expressed his pride for the team, and the hard work they've put into the program. This car was the same one that brought such great success to the team last year in Pocono, and they will bring it back again next week. Perhaps the team will be able to top their best ever finish of 5th that they achieved there last year on Father's Day.

Report from Jayski (6/9)
Monday and Tuesday (6/7, 6/8), Tony Stewart, Steve Park, and Jeff Green practiced at Pocono Raceway in preparation for the Pocono 500, June 20th and the Pennsylvania 500, July 25th. No speed reports on Monday but on Tuesday, Steve Park was unofficially rumored to be quickest of the three at a little over 168 mph. Also, it is reported that Tony Stewart wrecked his primary car for the June race in Turn 2 at Pocono during a Tuesday morning practice session. Tony Stewart was uninjured and continued practice using a 2nd car. (thanks, "Flash")

June 18 - 20, 1999

      Steve headed to Pocono Raceway on the heals of his career-best finish last weekend in Michigan, bringing back the same car. Although Steve has never compteded at Pocono in a Stock car, he did race here while on the Modified tour. Steve attempted to qualify for his first Winston Cup race here in 1997 but wasn't fast enough to make the field.Success here is no stranger to the team. Last year Darrell Waltrip led late in the race, and although he did not go on to win, he did pull a strong 6th place finish. Steve's new crew chief, Paul Andrews, did go to victory lane that day. His driver Jeremy Mayfield won his first ever race -- the only driver to do so at Pocono. Steve would like to be the second driver to accomplish the feat, and Paul would like to be part of that experience for the second year in a row!

      Practice was held on Friday prior to qualifying, and the team showed their strength. Steve was the fastest driver of the session, turning a lap time of 52.713 (170.735 mph). That speed was a full mile per hour faster than the qualifying record set by Jeff Gordon in 1996.

      Although a new qualifying record was set, it wasn't by Steve. His speed dropped considerably by the time he made his qualifying run, the 20th driver to do so. His time of 53.366 (168.647 mph) put him in 10th. With over half the field left to run, the chances of another top-10 start for Park were slim.

      Fortunately times were slower for most of the field and Steve only dropped to 18th. Sterling Marlin turned a lap of 52.784 (170.506 mph) to take the pole position. Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott, and Rick Mast round out the top-5 starters.

      Two practice sessions were held on Saturday allowing the team to work on the race setup. In the am session Steve was the 34th fastest with a time of 54.446 (165.301 mph). Speeds were slower in Happy Hour, and Steve was the 14th fastest. After running 29 laps his fastest time was 54.597 (164.844 mph). The goal of a top-5 finish is within reach, but there are a lot of good drivers to get around first.

      Steve came on strong with the drop of the green flag. Pocono Raceway is famous for its wide front straightaway and Steve took advantage of that by dropping down to the inside. The first two cautions of the day came out within the first 9 laps, and both accidents happened just in front of Park. By driving through clean he restarted on lap 12 in 6th place.

      Park stayed in the top ten through the first half of the race. When the 7th caution of the race came out on lap 148 Steve was down to 11th place. The decision to take on only 2 tires during that pit stop moved him up to 3rd place. Mark Martin caught up to him and the two ran door to door when the next caution came out on lap 152. Martin took the position as they crossed the stripe.

      The decision was made to bring Steve in for left side tires. Even though it pushed him back to 15th place they hoped fresher tires would make up the difference. Just a few laps after the restart Steve bumped into the back of Darrell Waltrip. Steve made it through, but Waltrip's day was over. They brought Park down pit road once again to check for damage, and made a 4-tire pit stop. He restarted in 20th.

      With only 30 laps remaining there wasn't enough time to make up all the ground they had lost. Steve dropped back one position early, but by the 10th caution on lap 185 he was up to 17th. Two drivers ahead of Park had to pit for gas, moving him up to 15th on the restart. The 11th and final caution came out on lap 193, and Steve picked up another position by then.

      The cars lined up single file on the restart with only 4 laps to go. Steve dropped down and picked up a couple of positions quickly. With one lap to go he lost one of those positions and finished the race in 13th. This wasn't the finish the team was looking for, but it was another strong finish for the team.

      Sears Point Raceway is the last of the Winston Cup courses that Steve has never raced at. He's been going to road racing school to prepare for this weekend's race. Although he hasn't run here before, Steve is no stranger to road courses. He has had a lot of success at Watkins Glen in New York, including impressing Dale Earnhardt by putting Joe Nemechek's truck on the pole nearly 3 years ago. With all the success this team has been enjoying, Steve is excited about this race.

      A two hour practice session was held Friday afternoon to help the teams prepare for the road course. Steve turned a total of 29 laps, clocking a fast lap at 1:12.366, and was the 12th fastest overall. He drew a late qualifying start and had time to watch many other drivers tackle the hills of Sonoma. Several drivers with significant road course experience entered the race this weekend, including Ron Hubert who changed tires for Park at the Daytona 500.

      Before making his qualifying run Steve sounded upbeat, and said the goal was to put the Pennzoil car into the top-20. Park was the 36th driver to take to the course, but unfortunately he spun out in turn 3. Even though he saved the car, making only slight contact with the tires lining the side of the track, he will have to run again on Saturday to make the field.

      Hopes were high on Saturday after Steve was 4th fastest in the morning practice session. The fastest lap he ran was 1:12.317 (97.022 mph). Unfortunately his qualifying lap did not go well, and he turned the slowest time of 1:33.391 (75.129 mph). Although it was a very disappointing lap, the good finishes that have moved this team up in the standings helped this weekend. Steve took the 3rd provisional starting position, and will roll off in 39th.

      Happy Hour Saturday night gave Steve one more chance to prepare for the Save Mart/Kragen 350. He turned 22 total laps, the fastest of which was 1:14.078 (94.716 mph). The times were down considerably from qualifying. The fastest time in Happy Hour would not have been fast enough to qualify for the race. Steve's time was the 26th fastest.

      The Pennzoil team had a lot of ground to make up after having to take a provisional start for the Save Mart/Kragen 350. Opportunities to pass on a road course are few and far between. In order to stay in the top 25 in the point standings Steve would have to move through a lot of the field.

      With the drop of the green flag Steve slipped back to 40th, but within a couple of laps he regained the position. The first caution of the day came early, on lap 4, when Winston West driver Butch Gilliland was taken out of the race. Steve picked up 5 positions by the restart.

      From there he fluctuated up and down, rising as high as 31st. Park was in 32nd on lap 25 when something went wrong with the car. It got loose for no reason, and he spun around backwards going into turn 2. As the car went off the track backwards it flipped over in the air landing upright on top of the retaining wall and tires lining the track. Steve's day was definitely over.

      Steve quickly got out of the car, and looked just fine as he walked away. He was naturally disappointed, but thankfully he wasn't hurt. He even took time to wave at the fans standing nearby. When interviewed later he said he was feeling just fine, in fact the first thing he said was that he wanted to let him mom who was watching at home know that he was okay.

      Only one other driver was of the race prior to Park's accident, which left him with a 42nd place finish. He took a serious hit in the standings, dropping 6 positions to 30th. Although all the hard work to climb into the top 25 is gone, it can be earned back with a strong finish next weekend in Daytona. Qualifying will be held Thursday night, so check back then for the results.

See all the pictures Steve sent in on the Sonoma Photo Page