Pepsi 400 Jiffy Lube 300 Pennsylvania 500

     Winston Cup returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Pepsi 400, as this race marks the end of the first half of the 1999 season. Devastating forest fires delayed the race last year, so this will be the first broadcast of a NASCAR race during primetime on network TV. The delay allowed Steve to be able to participate in the race last year, and be part of the first race at Daytona under the lights.

      A three hour practice session was held on Thursday afternoon. Steve's fastest lap was 47.650 (188.877 mph), nearly 5 miles an hour slower than the fastest time clocked by Joe Nemechek. His speed was only the 38th fastest, so the team went to work to shave some time off.

      Steve's draw for qualifying had him going out 16th, but engine problems forced him to delay his start. The team found a lifter that was stuck, and NASCAR allowed them to fix it first. . He ended up being the 22nd car to make his qualifying run. Nemechek was sitting on the provisional pole, with several top teams having run early.

      Unfortunately the team was not able to fix all the problems in the engine. Steve turned a disappointing first lap of 48.293 (186.363 mph) and was unable to get the car to perform any stronger. The second lap was surprisingly slower, clocking a time of 48.556 (185.353 mph). His time was 20th fastest, dropping down to 44th once all 48 drivers made their runs.

      Steve said the team is disappointed, but not giving up. They aren't sure just what the problem is, but know the engine lost horsepower since practice.

      The Pennzoil team had all day Friday to work on the car, and a two and a half hour practice session in the afternoon. They made a little headway, but Steve was still only the 36th fastest in practice. Hiss fastest time of 16 laps was 48.029 (187.386 mph). Without a significant change there was no reason to run in 2nd round qualifying.

      Very few drivers chose to make a second run, and Steve actually moved up to 43rd on the chart. He has to take another provisional, just barely making the race and starting in 43rd.

      Steve's times finally picked up during Happy Hour on Friday night. He turned a fast lap of 47.296 (190.290 mph) that was the 25th fastest. Not only was it Steve's best time, but he was only a half a second slower than the fastest car. Steve will just have to race clean and stay out of trouble so the team can move back up in the standings.

      The bad luck hanging over the team at the end of June has followed them into July. All weekend long the team struggled to find the speed necessary at Daytona International Speedway but were unable to find it. Engine problems killed their qualifying attempt on Thursday, leaving them with the final provisional starting position. Engine problems forced an early end on Saturday night as well.

      Mark Martin had a serious crash in Happy Hour practice on Friday forcing him to go to a backup car and drop behind Steve before the start of the race. Park moved up quickly after the drop of the green flag. When he crossed the stripe on the second lap he had gained 4 positions, then picked up another 4 the following lap. After the first 10 laps Steve was up a total of 10 positions in 33rd place. It appeared the speed the team picked up in Happy Hour would carry them through the Pepsi 400.

      Just 5 laps later Park picked up 3 more positions, but shuffled back after that. Being stuck in the back of the field meant many laps of double-file racing. By lap 20 Steve was in 32nd place -- 4.8 seconds behind the leader, and falling further back with each lap.

      Steve slipped back to 34th by lap 25 where he remained for several laps before falling further back. His position fluctuated up and down depending on which line was moving faster. Steve was in 36th when the first round of pit stops began under the green flag.

      Park came in on lap 56, a couple of laps later than the leaders. It appeared that fuel mileage would not be an issue for the team. After a good pit stop, he came back onto the track in 32nd. He still couldn't find the horsepower he needed, and once again lost positions.

      By lap 60 Steve was in 34th, now just over 38 seconds behind race leader Dale Earnhardt. Park fell back another spot 5 laps later and was caught up in the congestion of drivers scrambling in the back. Rusty Wallace took away the lead from Earnhardt, then put Steve a lap down on lap 72. Three laps later Steve fell to 36th.

      The engine problems that plagued the team all weekend caught up with them when the engine died on lap 79. The team pushed the Pennzoil car to the garage after only completing 78 of the 160 laps. For the second week in a row Steve ended up with a 42nd place finish.

      His only saving glory was that the other drivers surrounding him in the standings all had poor finishes as well. Miraculously Steve remains in 30th place in the point standings. The points have spread out some, and it will be harder to move back up than it was a couple of weeks ago. Park is now 112 points away from breaking into the top-25. The team is understandably frustrated, but will put the first half of the season behind them.

      Next weekend the team goes to Louden to begin the second half of the 1999 season. Steve raced there for many years in both the Modified and the Busch North tours, considering it his home track. It will be the perfect place to put to rest the last two weekends, and to capitalize on the great chemistry this team has found with the recent personnel changes. Being surrounded by his oldest fans will be a great confidence boost for Steve.

      The second half of the 1999 season begins this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. Steve has always looked at Louden as his home track because of all the time he spent there. It is the one track where a lot of the northeast guys got the chance to be noticed. Steve holds the distinction of being the only NASCAR racer to have raced in the top-5 touring series' at one track. Be sure to read this week's press release for more information.

      Two practice sessions were held on Friday prior to qualifying. In the first session Steve was the 8th fastest driver, turning a fast lap of 29.252 (130.206 mph). He was only 27th fastest in the second session after tuning a total of 10 laps. His fastest lap was clocked at 29.364 (129.709 mph).

      The old qualifying record of 29.429 (129.423 mph) that was set in 1997 was broken by the first driver to make his qualifying run. Rusty Wallace topped the 130 mph mark, as did 10 other drivers including Park. A total of 17 drivers surpassed the old qualifying mark.

      Steve was the 16th driver to take to the track, turning a lap of 29.291 (130.033 mph). At the time of qualifying it was the 7th fastest lap. Only 4 drivers turned faster laps after Steve's qualifying run, dropping him to 11th. Park's DEI teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. successfully qualified for his 2nd race of the season despite a chipped shoulder blade. He will start directly behind Steve in the 13th position.

      Jeff Gordon was the only driver fast enough to take the pole position away from Wallace, shattering the record with a time of 29.037 (131.171 mph). Even though Steve wasn't able to hang on to a top-10 start, this is the best start he's had since Michigan.

      Saturday morning's practice session went a bit slower for Steve. He fastest lap of 29.840 (127.640 mph) was only the 39th fastest of the session. Even with a number of cars practicing with their qualifying engines, the time was not what they wanted. The team definitely had the Pennzoil Monte Carlo dialed in for Happy Hour. They turned a total of 49 laps, with the fastest clocked at 29.638 (128.510 mph). He was the 4th fastest driver, definitely showing the strength of experience. Expect a little bit of magic out of the Pennzoil team throughout the weekend here at the "magic mile".


      Steve was in good company at the start, with teammate Dale Jr. directly behind him, and his boss Dale Sr. beside Dale Jr. Following the drop of the green flag Earnhardt made the pass around Steve, but Steve was able to hold of the Jr. Within 2 laps Dale Jr. moved around Steve to put him down to 13th. They settled in single file shortly after, and within a few laps Steve climbed a position as Dale Sr. dropped off the pace. On lap 114 Park was back in front of his DEI teammate, and the two hooked up to move up through the field.

      By lap 20 Steve was already 7.298 seconds behind the leader, but he continued to move up through the field. Michael Waltrip dropped back on lap 21, moving step into the top-10. By lap 28 Steve moved into 9th place after passing Ricky Craven. He held the position for 10 laps, during which he clocked the 4th fastest time of the field. Park moved into 8th position by passing Rusty Wallace, and was just 3 seconds behind Dale Jarrett.

      Even though he was gaining positions, by lap 40 Steve was 8.8 seconds back from the leader. Two laps later Dale Jr. had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to failing horsepower. Their crew was unable to make the repairs needed to get back into the race. Park no longer had a teammate to run with, but he held his position for the next 40 laps.

      Steve's quick speeds started to make a difference as he gained time on the race leader. By lap 50 the distance diminished to 7.8 seconds. Ken Schrader dropped behind Jarrett, leaving Steve only a second out of 7th place. The leaders were slowed by approaching traffic, putting Steve another second closer by lap 60. He couldn't make any ground up on Schrader, and once Stewart moved into the lead on lap 64 Steve lost ground again on the lead. He was almost 10 seconds back when the first caution of the race came out on lap 78.

      The first caution occurred when Joe Nemechek spun out and made contact with the inside wall. Most drivers had not made their first pit stop, and were glad to see the yellow flag. Steve's crew got him out quickly enough to hold the 8th place position, but after the restart it was evident that Steve's car was not the same. He could not regain the speed he had at the beginning of the race, as he fought with an ill handling car.

      Steve backslid drastically after the restart, dropping down to 12th by lap 90. By lap 97 Steve dropped to 15th place, and he lost another position before the 2nd caution came out on lap 98. Jerry Nadeau spun out after being tapped by Kenny Wallace, but neither driver was taken out of the race. No pit stops were made by the leaders, so Steve did not come in to make adjustments.

      When racing resumed on lap 103, the positions continued to fall. He lost 3 positions over the next 3 laps as he struggled to keep up his speed. He was falling further behind the leader, and by lap 112 he lost 2 more positions. The chance to pit under caution would have been a relief for the team, had Park not been involved in the cause of the caution.

      On lap 114 Rich Bickle got loose in front of Mark Martin. Martin slowed his car and was tapped from behind by Kenny Irwin. The two got sideways in front of Steve, and he spun out while trying to avoid them. Park slammed into Geoffrey Bodine and another car hit Park in the rear bumper. He was able to turn the car around and continue on, but he dropped down to 23rd in the process.

      Being the last car on the lead lap gave the crew the opportunity to bring Steve in several times to repair the damage to the car. They frantically applied duct tape to the crumpled hood, and replace the front valance. They got him off pit road just seconds ahead of the pace car that nearly put him a lap down. Steve remained on the lead lap after the subsequent stops as well

      Racing resumed on lap 119, but the fourth caution came just 4 laps later. Johnny Benson was racing 3-wide when he spun out. Ken Schrader was caught in the chain reaction, and his car was seriously damaged. Schrader's car laid down a lot of oil on the track, so the caution lasted a long time for clean-up. The team took advantage of Steve's position by bringing him into the pits several times under caution. Steve and Mike Skinner swapped positions several times, as his crew was doing the same thing. A couple of other drivers made last minute stops before the green came back out, putting Steve back into the top-20.

      Steve lost a position on the restart, dropping now to 21st. Only 4 more laps were run under green before the 5th caution came out. Rusty Wallace made contact with Jeff Gordon on lap 140 and slammed into the outside wall. It took 10 laps to clean up from the accident, but racing resumed again on lap 150. It was apparent the car was still not dialed in as Steve dropped a couple more positions within the next 8 laps. He pulled back up to 22nd by lap 166, but found himself 10.8 seconds behind the race leader by lap 170.

      Park regained 21st on lap 178, and held the position for 11 laps. He moved back into the top-20 on lap 190, 3 laps before Dave Blaney spun out after being tapped by Bickle. The yellow flag came out on lap 193, allowing for another round of pit stops by the leaders. The Pennzoil crew made an impressive stop, pushing Steve up to 18th as he exited pit road.

      The green flag flew again on lap 201, but Steve got a slow jump on the restart. Ernie Irvan passed him, but racing was quickly slowed by the yellow flag. As often happens, cautions begat cautions. Chad Little came down too low on the track, making contact with Bobby Labonte. Labonte backed into the outside wall as other drivers spun out behind him, including Dale Earnhardt who came to rest in the infield grass. Steve made it around Irvan as he raced back to the stripe, moving up to 16th place.

      The leaders elected to stay on the track and gamble on another caution. Andrews made the call to bring Park in for fuel so they could make it to the finish regardless of cautions. Several cars at the tail end of the lead lap did the same, but the DEI crew turned the fastest time of them all.

      The restart came on lap 210 with Steve quickly making the move into the top-15 within 2 laps. He held the position for several laps, never quite able to move forward. His speed was still way off at times, and he fell to 16th after lap 220. After several laps a couple of drivers dropped off the pace allowing Steve to move into the top-15. He stayed in 14th until Kenny Wallace moved past him on lap 245. Bill Elliott followed suit, and once again Park was out of the top-15.

      Steve struggled to keep up to speed with the drivers surrounding him, and on lap 208 Jimmy Spencer got the better of him. Race leader Tony Stewart was fast approaching, putting several drivers down a lap. He caught up and passed Steve by lay 264, as Steve remained in 17th.

      The fuel gamble made earlier by the leaders did not seem like much of a gamble at the time. With 7 cautions in the first 2/3 of the race, it seemed more than likely there would be at least one more. Andrew's call turned out to be right on as crews up and down pit road calculated fuel mileage. Most of the leaders knew they might not make it. Steve's team was confident they could make it to the end, so he started to gain positions as the leaders came in for a splash of gas. By lap 290 Steve was up to 12th place where he remained the rest of the race. The shuffling of the leaders put him back on the lead lap however, along with a handful of other drivers.

      Starting 11th and finishing 12th is not what the team strived for this weekend. After struggling to keep pace all afternoon, and crumpling the car, the team was overjoyed.

      The team is happy to move up in the point standings once again. Steve gained 2 positions, and is now in 28th place. He is 109 points out of the top 25 and will need more good finishes to climb back up. This team needed to be reminded just how much things have turned around since Paul Andrews came on board. Top finishes are what every team works for, but sometimes over coming adversity can provide a stronger sense of team pride. This team has every reason to feel proud.

      On paper it looks like the team finished worse than they started. In their hearts they know the rest of the story. They put behind the accident and mechanical failure that interrupted the top performances they achieved prior to Sears Point. Steve would have liked to have given his oldest fans a career best finish in the top-5, but when you consider the bigger picture this may have done more for the team.

      Next weekend the team will get a break from racing before returning to Pocono on July 25th. Winston Cup will then be off again the following weekend, allowing some much needed rest for all the teams. The following week is the Brickyard 400 where Steve made his comeback last season.

      Steve Park and the Pennzoil team return to Pocono this weekend, ready to continue their upward climb. Steve's strong finish at the last race brought everyone's spirits back up after two consecutive 42nd place finishes. With the bad luck behind them, it's time to head to a track where they know finished in the top-15 last month.

      Despite last month's success, the crew struggled to find more speed during the practice session held Friday. Steve turned a total of 11 laps, clocking his fastest lap on his final turn around the track. His time of 54.050 (166.512 mph) was only the 34th fastest time of the session, and about a second slower than the fastest time. Steve drew the 40th position in the qualifying order out of a total 45 drivers entered in the event. It afforded the team more time to make adjustments, and get a feel of how the track was before making their run.

      By the time Steve made his qualifying attempt, the speed he ran in practice would have placed him outside the top-25. Although he picked nearly a full mile per hour over his fastest practice time, it wasn't enough to make the field in first round qualifying. Park clocked his lap at 53.732 (167.498 mph), which put him 27th. Three drivers made faster qualifying runs than did Park, pushing him down to 30th.

      Steve's RAD "teammate" Mike Skinner took his first bud pole award since sweeping the Daytona races in his rookie year. His time of 53.732 (167.498 mph) wasn't quite fast enough to break the record time set here last month. This comes on the heals of this weekend's announcement that Skinner's crew chief, Larry McReynolds, has signed on with RCR for 3 more years.

      The team decided not to take away precious time to get the car prepared for racing by running in second round qualifying. Only two drivers posted a faster time than Park, so he will roll off at the drop of the green flag in the 32nd position.

      The Pennzoil team struggled all weekend to find the speed most of the other teams were achieving. Despite picking up speed with each practice session, the closest they came to the leaders was a 22nd fastest time in Happy Hour practice on Saturday. What they needed to concentrate on was running a consistent race, and staying out of trouble. If they could hang on to the end, they had a chance of bringing home a good finish.

      From the drop of the green flag it was evident that Steve still couldn't match the speeds clocked by the leaders. Despite slower speeds, he was able to maintain his position in the back of the field through the first caution on Lap 14. Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Irwin made contact sending Irwin spinning out and crashing hard into the outside wall. The cars came down pit road during the caution, and the crew got Steve back out onto the track in 11th place.

      Racing resumed on lap 22, and within 2 laps Park moved into the top-10. On the next lap Dale Earnhardt and Hut Stricklin passed him by. He dropped another position 2 laps later, and held that spot for the next 5 laps. Steve continued to drop positions, and was down to 16th place when race leader Ward Burton slammed into the outside wall to bring out the 2nd caution of the race on lap 38.

      The drivers made pit stops once again, but this time Steve lost positions instead of gaining them. He went into the pits in 15th, but when racing resumed on lap 43 he was down to 18th. On lap 45 John Andretti spun around a short distance in front of Park, but he was able to avoid the incident.

      When racing resumed on lap 51 Steve was back in the top-15. He moved up a couple of positions into 13th shortly after the restart. Steve held his position though the 4th caution that came out on lap 78. Jeff Gordon's right front tire shredded on the Long Pond straightaway, leaving a trail of debris along the track. Steve did not some back off of pit road as well as earlier in the day, this time dropping down as far as 27th.

      Steve's car was handing a lot better than most of the field, and he was able to pick off positions. By the halfway point of the race he was back in the top-15, and the struggles from the weekend were beginning to fade away. He just drove steady and consistent laps, staying out of trouble as he knew he had to in order to be around at the end.

      After a series of green flag pit stops took time to complete, Steve held 17th place on lap 137. Not long after, the yellow flag flew for the 6th time due to rain conditions. Nothing heavy fell, and only a few laps were run under caution. Park restarted the race in the 8th position on lap 147, but by lap 150 he lost a position.

      The 7th caution of the race was when the crew set the wheels in motion for a possible great finish for Park. With 45 laps left in the race, Paul Andrews called for a 4-tire stop for Steve. The hope was that Park could stretch his fuel mileage a few extra laps and go to the end the race without a fuel stop. Many of the drivers came back down pit road before racing resumed, while Steve only took on a quick splash of gas. He moved up to 4th place when the green fell on lap 167.

      Park was shuffled back to 7th by the time they crossed the stripe for the first time after the restart. On that next lap Bill Elliott slammed into the outside wall to bring out the 8th caution of the day. Steve stayed out on the track while many others pitted, inheriting the lead on lap 162. He held the lead through lap 167 -- adding to his season total of laps led.

      Once Bobby Labonte made the pass around Steve with 33 laps to go, Steve lost ground to Jeff Burton as well. Steve was in 3rd place when an accident between Kenny Wallace and Jerry Nadeau brought out the yellow flag once again. The race back to the line found Steve in 4th place. The cautions were only helping Steve stretch his gas mileage, and by this point the crew knew they had little to worry about as far as fuel was concerned.

      Racing resumed with 27 laps remaining, and by lap 175 Park moved up to 3rd place when Jeff Burton dropped out of the race. Steve had older tires than the leaders, and it began to take its toll. Jarrett took away a position from him by lap 178 and Rich Bickle followed suit a couple of laps later. Park held tight to his 5th place position, and the dream of his first top-5 finish.

      With 12 laps to go, Wally Dallenbach mustered the power to move around Steve. Despite older tires, Steve's speed was not much slower than the leader. Cars behind Park with fresher tires were the biggest struggle. Tony Stewart sped past Steve within the final 10 laps, dropping him to 7th. In the closing laps Terry Labonte sped by both Steve and Rich Bickle, so Park went home with an 8th place finish.

      This top-10 finished combined with the 12th place finish earned at New Hampshire are proof of the strength of this young team. All the years of experience and talent this team has is definitely shining through. Steve moved up an impressive 24 positions in the race, and moved up another position in the point standings to 27th. Park sits just 21 points behind Kevin LePage, and has a good chance to gain positions again next race.

      The team will have a couple of weeks to celebrate their great finish, as they have another break in the schedule next weekend. After that comes the longest stretch of the season, a 3 month run, beginning with the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 7th. The Brickyard 400 is where Steve made his courageous return to racing last year after missing so much of the season due to injuries. Park clocked some impressive speeds in the GM test session at the Brickyard last week, and should be a force to contend with again in 2 weeks.