September 3 - 5, 1999

      Rain followed NASCAR to Darlington when they raced here in March. Qualifying was limited to one round, leaving Steve back in 29th place at the start. When the race was called early due to more rain, Steve had moved up to 12th place after leading his first ever Winston Cup lap. As frustrating as it was not to be able to continue on with such a strong car, the team knew they had dialed in the right combination.

      Six months later we return to Darlington, South Carolina for the 50th running of the Southern 500. Since the last race, Steve has a new crew chief, a new career-best finish of 6th, and has led nearly 100 laps. This weekend the team gets a second chance to tame the "track too tough to tame".

      Park turned the 16th fastest time in practice on Friday, with a lap time of 29.319 (167.727 mph). Clouds rolled over the track as qualifying started, cooling the track which makes the cars run faster. Steve was unable to turn the lap he would have liked to, only turning a time of 29.401 (163.586 mph). The run was 35th fastest at the time he ran, but ultimately he ended up with the 40th fastest time.

      Next the decision needed to be made whether or not to run in 2nd round qualifying. Steve was high enough in the standings that a provisional starting position wouldn't count against the team. On the other hand, a top-28 starting spot meant he would pit on the front stretch.

      The practice session Saturday morning helped the team make their decision. Steve turned the 19th fastest lap at 30.409 (161.715 mph). In 2nd round qualifying Park did improve his time to 29.804 (164.998 mph). However, there were other drivers who improved upon their speeds from Friday. Steve ended up with the 42nd fastest time, having to take a provisional. On Sunday, Steve will roll off from the 39th starting position.

      The team worked throughout Happy Hour to find the right combination. Late in the session they turned their fastest lap of 30.701 (160.177 mph) for the 33rd overall fastest lap.

      The Pennzoil team had to once again endure the task of not only surviving The Lady in Black, but trying to pass the majority of the field to come away with a good finish. In the spring the team started 29th before going home with a 12th place finish. This time, they had a lot harder job at hand, starting 10 positions further back in the field.

      All the hard work done throughout the weekend in an attempt to improve the car showed from the drop of the green flag. Knowing this is one of the hardest tracks on tires, Steve was patient in his upward climb. He gained his first position by lap 3 by passing Michael Waltrip. He continued to move forward, moving up to 36th just 10 laps into the race. Waltrip made the pass around Steve a few laps later, however Steve was able to maintain his position.

      The two drivers hooked up, and moved through the field together. By lap 20 Steve broke into the top-35, and just 3 laps later the 2 drivers picked off 2 more positions. They picked off 2 more spots within the following 2 laps, with Wally Dallenbach hooking up with the pair. The 3 cars continued to put other drivers down, with Steve breaking into the top-30 on lap 35. Just 2 laps later Park moved up to 29th before Dallenbach moved around to put him back down to 20th by lap 30.

      The first cautions came out on lap 51 when Jerry Nadeau had a right front tire go down, sending him into the outside wall. As he came down the track, Mike Skinner crashed into him, then he hit the inside wall. Nadeau walked away from the accident, but was flown to the hospital for observation. The first round of pit stops were made during the caution, with Steve sitting in 27th. He came back onto the track in 28th -- a good accomplishment considering the back stretch pit stall.

      Racing resumed on lap 57 with Steve dropping a couple of positions within the first couple of laps. Once the tires warmed up on the #1 car, Steve started to move forward again. Park moved around Kenny Wallace on lap 68, followed by Ted Musgrave and John Andretti the following lap. He moved into the top-25 by lap 71, taking the position from Ricky Rudd.

      Steve caught up to Michael Waltrip, and passed him on lap 79 to move into 24th. He set his sites on Geoffrey Bodine, finally getting around him by lap 23. Just 2 laps later, Steve was up to 22nd, passing Bill Elliott. Chad Little was the next car Steve put down, passing him just 5 laps later. When the race hit the 100 lap mark, Steve was up to 19th place. He had passed Jimmy Spencer, and Tony Stewart dropped back through the field after suffering from handling problems. It only took 4 laps before Steve moved up again, this time passing Kenny Schrader.

      Scheduled pit stops started a few laps later, with drivers trickling down pit road. By the time Steve came down the back pit lane on lap 118, most of the drivers had already pitted. Everyone finished their stops under the green flag by lap 122, and Park was in 19th place. He had the same drivers to contend with once again, and once again had to pass them by to move up through the pack.

      It took until lap 130 for Steve to move up a position, passing Kenny Wallace to get the job done. The second caution came out just 4 laps later when Michael Waltrip crashed on the front straightaway, coming out of turn 4. He slammed into the inside wall, ending his racing day. Everyone pitted again under caution, and the Pennzoil team turned another impressive stop. They returned Steve to the track in 19th place, but he moved forward a position, due to another team pitting, before the restart on lap 141.

      Steve got shuffled around on the restart, dropping behind Terry Labonte. On lap 146 Steve Grissom spun out into the outside wall, and as other cars checked up behind him, a multi-car incident followed. Steve narrowly escaped disaster, carefully weaving between the cars in front of him. Most of the drivers stopped for fresh tires, with Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte remaining on the track. Steve came back onto the track in 17th, but Labonte decided to pit before the restart. When racing resumed on lap 156, Park was in the top-15.

      Terry Labonte passed Park shortly after the restart, but the two hooked up to move forward through the pack. They put Bill Elliott down by lap 161, and Ken Schrader suffered the same fate 3 laps later. Steve was still in 14th place when the yellow flag came out for the 3rd time of the day. Ricky Rudd tried to coast his car onto pit lane after stalling due to a broken distributor, but it stopped at the entrance. Park was the first car off the back stretch pit lane, of the 3 cars on the lead lap who were pitting on the back stretch. Only 20 cars remained on the lead lap, and Park restarted the race in 15th.

      Shortly after racing resumed, Kenny Irwin earned his Darlington Stripe to push Steve up to 14th place. A couple of laps later Jarrett made the move around Park just as Dale Earnhardt dropped off the track for an unscheduled pit stop. Steve remained in the same position, moving up again just 3 laps later by passing Schrader.

      Terry Labonte moved around Park again by lap 200, but the two hooked up to pass Rusty Wallace by to put Steve back in 13 the following lap. On lap 215 the pair passed by Elliott Sadler, then Jimmy Spencer 4 laps later. Park was still in 11th place when the 5th caution came out on lap 230. Rain began to fall, so the yellow came out for safety reasons.

      Most of the drivers made pit stops, with Steve returning to the track as the last car on the lead lap in 16th. Terry Labonte, one of the 3 lead lap cars pitting on the back stretch, decided to stay out, and thereby inherited the lead. Spencer stayed out as well, assuming second place. Bill Elliott stayed out, but later made a pit stop, moving Steve up to the top-15. Labonte decided to make a pit stop as well, coming in on the following lap. Steve was sitting in 14th place when the red flag flew on lap 244.

      The cars sat for 25 minutes before getting the call to refire. Spencer made his pit stop prior to the restart, pushing Steve up to 13th for the restart on lap 251. Terry Labonte and Spencer made the pass around Steve shortly after the restart however, pushing Park back down to 15th. The yellow flag flew again for the 6th time on lap 257, once again due to rain. Tony Stewart was able to pass Jeff Burton to get back on the lead lap, increasing the number of cars on the lead lap to 17. He made a 4-tire pit stop prior to the red flag that came out on lap 260.

      The second red flag stayed out a lot longer than the first one, nearly an hour and 20 minutes, while light rain continued to fall off and on. When Nascar finally decided to have the drivers refire their cars, they said they would not run a complete race. The plan was to run until 6:30 ET (approx. 20 minutes) and then run 10 more laps. Five drivers made pit stops for fresh tires, but Steve stayed out on the track.

      Andrew's call to keep Park on the track may have been the best call this team has made all year. The field got the one-to-go signal, but when they came back around the track, the yellow flag was out again. Sprinkles were falling once again, and eventually Nascar made the call to end the race at lap 270.

      This was the first top-10 finish for Steve since his 8th place finish at Pocono in July. No one climbed higher through the pack than did Park, moving up an impressive 29 positions. His 10th place finish helped him climb 2 positions in the point standings, now sitting in 22nd place. Steve is now just 29 points behind Michael Waltrip in 21st, and only 42 points from breaking into the top-20!

      Next Saturday night's race in Richmond could well be Park's opportunity to break into the top-20. He won his 3rd Busch Grand National race here in 1997, breaking a rookie of the year record. Steve had a disappointing 34th place finish here in May after crashing due to a cut down tire. It was the last race before DEI hired new crew chief Paul Andrews, and you can bet next weekend will be a lot better race for the team.

September 9 - 11, 1999

      The Pennzoil team return to racing this weekend at Richmond International Raceway -- fresh off their top-10 finish last Sunday. Two years ago Steve visited victory lane here while running in the Busch Grand National division. Steve would like to make a return visit, this time in his Winston Cup ride.

      Steve made a strong showing in practice on Friday. The first session wasn't as good, with Steve only turning the 19th fastest lap at 22.031 (122.554 mph). In the second session, Steve showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with by turning the 3rd fastest time. His lap time of 21.769 (124.029 mph) was just .5 mph slower than the fastest time clocked by Bobby Labonte.

Prior to making his qualifying run, Steve said that the main focus for the team right now is their qualifying efforts. They proved they can race well, but haven't been able to qualify well. Park was the 27th driver to post a qualifying speed, turning a lap time of 21.718 (124.321 mph) on his first lap. It was the 6th fastest time, but his second lap was even faster. His lap time of 21.678 (124.550 mph) was the 5th fastest speed when he ran.

      The next three drivers to qualify were Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart, and Mike Skinner. Wallace took the provisional pole position from Bobby Labonte, followed by Stewart taking it away from him. Skinner was the big winner, remaining in the pole position through the end of the session. Kenny Wallace and Geoffrey Bodine also qualified in the top-10, bumping Steve down to 10th. This is his first top-10 start since the Kmart 400 in June.

      Meanwhile, Park's teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., qualified 21st. He has yet to fail to make the field in the first round. For the fourth time, Steve has qualified higher than Earnhardt Jr.

      On Saturday the team continued to run well during the Happy Hour practice session. Steve's lap time of 22.248 (121.359 mph) was the 13th fastest of the session. Earnhardt Jr. ran the fastest time, showing just how much strength these DEI teams have.

      You know you're racing well when a top-20 finish is a disappointment. However, when you start in the top-10 and run in the top-5 during the race, that's exactly what it is.

      Steve started the race by moving up from the drop of the green flag. He picked up 2 positions in the firs 8 laps, and another position just 8 laps later. His speeds were faster than those ahead of him, and it was just a matter of time before he would continue to move forward. After 30 laps of racing, Steve was right behind Kenny Wallace. He continually attempted to get under Wallace, finally getting under him and running side by side until he passed him to move up to sixth.

      The first caution of the race came out on lap 58 when Terry Labonte crashed into the outside wall after his right front tire went down. Park was still in 6th when the first round of pit stops were made under the yellow. A slow pit stop dropped Park to 18th for the restart on lap 66.

      Park's lap speeds were not as fast as in the first part of the race, but he still moved forward through the pack. For several laps after the restart he ran directly behind Bill Elliott, Bobby Hamilton, and Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt moved to the front of the 4 cars by lap 80. Steve was able to get around Elliott by lap 84, then past Hamilton 2 laps later.

      Steve broke into the top-15 on lap 94, passing by Kenny Irwin. He passed Kenny Wallace just as the 2nd caution came out on lap 102. Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Petty made contact, bringing out the yellow flag. Steve dropped one position on his pit stop, restarting in 15th on lap 110.

      Despite his slower pit stops, the car was still strong enough to move forward though the pack. Dale Earnhardt Jr dropped off the pace, and Steve moved up to 14th by lap 123. It took 11 laps for Park to gain another position, this time because Kenny Wallace dropped back. Steve ran with Bobby Hamilton again, until Hamilton moved around Irwin on lap 146. He wasn't able to complete the pass around Irwin, but did move up to 12th when John Andretti dropped behind him 10 laps later.

      On lap 169 the yellow flag flew after Chad Little crashed into the outside wall. The three positions Steve gained since the restart were lost in the pits. The crew's timing was still off, as he fell to 15th after making his pit stop. When racing resumed, his speeds were once again considerably faster than those ahead of him.

      Steve's next move forward came 10 laps after the restart as he passed John Andretti on lap 188. When the race hit the halfway point, Park had also put Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace behind him. Just 6 laps later, Sterling Marlin fell victim to Park. Two laps later Geoffrey Bodine dropped off the pace, allowing Steve to break into the top-10.

      Ward Burton spun out and crashed to bring out the 4th caution of the race on lap 212. A much better pit stop put Park back onto the track in 9th place, but he found himself moving backwards after the restart. Both Sterling Marlin and Dale Earnhardt moved past him within the first 8 laps, and he remained in 11th place though the next caution on lap 240. Steve's DEI teammate Ron Hornaday, driving the Sabco owned 01 car, made contact with Brett Bodine. The two spun, halting the race for the 5th time.

      The call to take on right side tires only, put Park back onto the track in 6th. Older tires were not a problem, as he broke into the top-5 just 20 laps after the restart. After passing Mark Martin, Steve was 5 seconds behind Bobby Labonte. He was unable to bridge the distance before the 6th and final caution came out on lap 304. Another disappointing pit stop put Park back onto the track in 8th place, although he restarted the race in 7th place after Jeff Gordon dropped out of the race due to transmission problems.

      Steve's lap times were slower after the restart than they had been all night. What was one of the fastest cars all night, inexplicably became one of the slowest. The car was suddenly too loose for Park to control. It finally took its toll when he was passed by Martin on lap 320, then by Dale Earnhardt the following lap. Six laps later Hamilton moved past Park, still struggling to pick up speed.

      By lap 331 Steve was in 12th after Kenny Irwin and Ted Musgrave moved around him on consecutive laps. Five laps later Andretti went past, followed by Skinner just 2 laps later. Dale Earnhardt Jr made the pass around Steve to put his teammate down to 15th by lap 340. Just 9 laps later the positions reversed when Dale Jr's speed took a nose-dive, but Jr was back in front just 3 laps later.

      Park was still in 15th place when race leader Tony Stewart lapped him on lap 360. Kenny Wallace followed Stewart, enabling him to get around Steve. He dropped as far down as 17th by lap 365, but after Mark Martin dropped out of the race, Steve moved back up to 16th.

      Park was the last car one lap down, therefore he did not drop any more positions before the end of the race. After running so well, the 16th place finish was hard for the team to swallow. Without another caution period, the team did not have the chance to make another pit stop and make the necessary adjustments to increase his speed.

      The 1999 Exide Batteries 400 will long be remembered as Tony Stewart's first Winston Cup victory. Stewart is the first driver to win in his rookie year since the late Davey Allison won 12 years ago. Allison is the only rookie to win 2 races in his rookie season, but with 9 races left in the season that statistic may change.

      Despite dropping 6 positions in the race, Park will gain a position in the point standings. He will climb to 21st place, just 39 points behind Kenny Irwin. He is in striking distance of breaking into the top-20 next weekend at Louden. New Hampshire International Speedway is Steve's "home track", so a high finish is not out of the question.

September 17 - 19, 1999

      Although Hurricane Floyd spared the Charlotte, North Carolina area where most of the racing teams call home, it still managed to put a damper on this weekend's activities. The remnants of Tropical Storm Floyd forced NASCAR to cancel practice and qualifying for Friday.

      Park announced last weekend that the team is putting a stronger focus on their qualifying package, as it is the one area they have been struggling with. They came right out the shoot with a top-10 start last weekend. Steve is the only driver to run in the top-5 NASCAR divisions at New Hampshire International Speedway, so his extensive experience can only make a difference for the team this weekend.

      The first practice session was held early Saturday morning, and the Pennzoil team was pleased with their performance. Out of the 21 laps Steve took, his best lap was clocked at 29.598 (128.684 mph). It was the 15th fastest lap of the session, just a third of a second off Rusty Wallace's session topping time.

      Qualifying began at 11 am, and Steve was the 33rd driver to make his qualifying run. Many of the drivers who ran early complained about the lack of grip on the track, but as the session progressed, the speeds increased. Park's lap of 29.657 (128.428 mph) was fast enough to bump his boss Dale Earnhardt out of the 10th place position.

      Steve congratulated the entire team, saying how hard they've been working. He said that it was real good in turns 1 and 2, but that he left a little in turns 3 and 4. He ran a more conservative lap, knowing that many of the drivers talked about how cold the track was. He also said how good it was to be back home, and he hopped this would put the team solidly in the top-15.

      That it did. Only two drivers turned faster times after Steve made his qualifying run, dropping him to 12th place. Park will start the Dura Lube / Kmart 300 from the outside of the 6th row, but don't expect him to stay there long!

      Taking this weekend's Bud Pole award was Rusty Wallace, with a time of 29.339 (129.820 mph). Dale Jarrett, Ken Schrader, Kevin Lepage, and Tony Stewart, round out the top-5 starting positions.

      The crew put the finishing touches on during Happy Hour practice Saturday evening. Nascar extended the practice session to an hour and a half to make up for the time lost on Friday. Steve held the 25th fastest time for much of the session, turning a few quick laps later in the session to move into the top-20. In the end, Park's quickest lap, clocked at 29.820 (127.726 mph), was the 21st fastest.

      The Dura Lube / Kmart 300 looked to be Park's best finish at the track he knows so well. After a spin out in the final stages of the race, the team was lucky to come away with a top-15 finish.

      Steve's solid qualifying run put him on the outside of row 6 for the drop of the green flag. Immediately he pushed forward with the outside line. On the first lap he passed both Joe Nemecheck and Bobby Hamilton. Wally Dallenbach fell off the pace from the start, and Park moved past him by the third lap.

      The first caution came on lap 4 when Geoffrey Bodine spun out creating a chain reaction of slowing cars. Racing resumed 6 laps later only to fall victim to the yellow flag again on lap 12. The caution came out after Dave Marcus spun onto the infield after being tapped by Kenny Irwin. Marcus then spun back onto the he track, halting traffic. Racing resumed on lap 17.

      For the first time racing lasted long enough for the tires to get warmed up. Steve was running as fast as the leaders, holding his position through lap 68 when he passed Ken Schrader. The field had begun to spread out, and Steve was nearly 7 seconds behind the leader.

      The teams needed to stop for fuel soon after, with the first pit stops made on lap 84. Knowing how well the Pennzoil Monte Carlo is on gas, Park stayed out on the track. He inherited the lead on lap 90 and held it until he pitted on lap 92. The crew pulled away some slight damage to the left front of the car, and returned Park to the track. Just 5 laps later the caution was out again when Kevin Lepage crashed into the wall.

      Steve restarted the race in 7th place, and held the position through the 4th caution on lap 112. Ricky Craven was the unfortunate driver to run into the wall to bring out the 4th yellow flag. Racing resumed on lap 120, and Mike Skinner and Dale Jarrett made contact on the following lap. Park moved around Skinner to move into 6th place. Before he could move further forward the yellow flag was out for the 5th time

      Mike Skinner tapped into John Andretti, sending him into the outside wall. Several cars were collected in the chain reaction that followed. Most of the leaders made pit stops during the caution, however several teams made 2-tire stops, and three drivers didn't pit at all. The shuffling of pit strategies dropped Steve to 16th.

      When racing resumed on lap 138 drivers went 3 wide. Steve fell back to 18th place before moving up to 17th at the 140 lap mark. A couple of laps later Kenny Wallace spun out, bringing out the 6th caution of the race. Some cars made pit stops which helped move Steve up to 15th for the restart on lap 148.

      Park moved into 14th place by passing Jimmy Spencer at the half-way point of the race. Spencer moved back in front of Park three laps later, but Steve reassumed 14th by lap 159. Steve gained another position when Kyle Petty was forced to pit on lap 163 to repair a broken oil line. A 1.5 second gap existed between Steve and Dale Earnhardt, who was the next car in front of him.

      Steve did not get the chance to race the boss because Todd Bodine spun out on the backstretch. The 7th caution of the race came out after Bodine crashed into the wall. Steve pitted on lap 171 along with most of the leaders. Dale Jarrett chose to stay out on the track and take over the race lead. Park came out of the pits in 16th place.

      Park held his position through lap 183 when Bobby Hamilton made the pass around him. His car was equal to those surrounding him, making it hard to pass. He was part of a 5 car train running single file around the track. The Pennzoil Monte Carlo was suffering from some slight handling problems by this point, making passing even tougher.

      Jarrett was finally forced to make a pit stop, but while he was in the pits Michael Waltrip crashed into the outside wall. The team planned a 4-tire stop, but he exited pit road after only changing 2 tires so that he could stay on the lead lap. In the hurry, he inadvertently ran over the air gun, which meant he had to return for a stop and go penalty. Jarrett missed his pit stall, but the crew changed the left side tires without repositioning the car. Nascar imposed a 1 lap penalty on the team, dropping the series leader off of the lead lap.

      The 8th caution set up the last round of pit stops for the leaders. The Pennzoil team made a 4-tire stop, looking to gain some speed on cars who only took on 2 tires. Their decision put Park back on the track in 20th, although he restarted the race in 17th on lap 226. Their strategy to gain some advantage during long green runs did not materialize.

      Steve dropped a position shortly after the restart -- caught up in tight racing. Jimmy Spencer dropped off the pace, but as Steve made the move under Spencer, Kenny Irwin made the pass around them both. Park finally got around Spencer on lap 254, setting his sights on Irwin. Mike Skinner made an unscheduled pit stop on lap 263 that moved Steve up to 17th again.

      Park quickly decreased the one second distance between him and Irwin. On lap 275 Park finally moved into 16th place, but was now 4 seconds behind Hut Stricklin. Irwin stayed close behind Steve, and the two often ran side by side. Steve was attempting to eliminate the distance to the top-15 by racing toward Stricklin when the yellow flag was out again. Elliott Sadler spun out after getting tapped by Ken Schrader, forcing the 9th caution of the race.

      The incident put Steve back into the top 15. Racing resumed on lap 288 only to be halted again 2 laps later. The yellow flag was out for the 10th time after Jimmy Spencer spun out. Park seemed poised to finally make up some of the ground he lost. Steve had moved up to 14th place, and with a single-file restart there would not be any lap traffic to halt his progression.

      The green came out with just 7 laps to go and all the leaders raced hard in their final attempt to pick up positions. Disaster nearly struck as the Pennzoil Chevrolet spun around on the track. He skillfully piloted the car into the right direction, and quickly got on the gas. Fortunately he avoided making contact with any of the other cars, avoiding another yellow flag in the process. Unfortunately, he lost 3 positions in the confusion.

      On lap 297 Terry Labonte and Hut Stricklin made contact, taking Labonte out of the race. Steve avoided the two drivers, and picked up 2 of the positions he had just lost. Race leader Joe Nemecheck took the yellow flag on lap 298, en route to his first Winston Cup victory. For the first time since 1970, back to back races were won by first time winners.

      Steve remained in 21st place in the point standings, but is now 50 points behind Kenny Irwin. Less than 70 points separate 18th to 21st, so a good finish next would almost assure Park of reaching the top-20. Park was officially mathematically eliminated from the Championship this weekend. Of course the team wasn't truly in the running, they're just looking for the best finish they can muster.

      Next weekend's race will be held at the Monster Mile in Dover. Last year Park recorded a season best 11th place finish at the track. This year's race, back in June, ended up being a fuel mileage race. Hopefully the team can capitalize on their recent qualifying successes, and bring home a top-10 finish in the MBNA Gold 400.

September 24 - 26, 1999

      Steve started out the weekend by showing just how strong this Pennzoil team is. Two practice sessions were held on Friday prior to qualifying. In the first session Steve was fastest of the 48 drivers attempting to make the race. His best lap was clocked at 22.592 (159.348 mph). Park was equally impressive in the second practice session. His lap of 22.616 (159.179 mph) was 2nd fastest.

      Park was the 20th driver to take to the track, but the pace had already been set. The third driver to make a qualifying attempt, Rusty Wallace, set a new qualifying record. His speed surpassed any turned in practice. The only driver faster than Steve in practice, Jeremy Mayfield, also qualified faster than the practice speeds. Steve made a solid run, holding a low line around the track. His lap of 22.703 (158.569 mph) put him in 5th place.

      Speeds picked up as the qualifying session progressed. With a host of top-notch drivers making their runs late in the session, Park was lucky to hold on to a top-10 starting position. This is the second week in a row the Pennzoil Chevrolet starts the race from the outside of row 5.

      After a good night's sleep, knowing he was already in the race, Steve prepared for the race on Saturday. In the first practice session the team got the first chance to work on the race setup. Park's time of 23.612 (152.464 mph) was the 36th fastest of the session.

      Once all the cars were in race trim for Happy Hour, Steve's ranking improved. He turned the 20th fastest lap with a time of 23.682 (152.014 mph). Considering his top notch performances at the Monster Mile in the past, expect Park to finish well again. Starting in the top-10, a career best finish is not out of the question.


      The MBNA Gold 400 started out just as predicted. Steve continued to run strong, moving up from his 10th place starting position quickly. Within the first 3 laps he picked off 3 positions. After crossing the stripe for the 10th time, Park dropped a position as Mark Martin made the move around him. Just 6 laps later Park got under Geoffrey Bodine to reassume 7th place.

      When Steve passed Bill Elliott to move into 6th place by lap 20, he had the fastest car among the leaders. He continued his upward climb by passing Jeremy Mayfield 5 laps later, moving Park into the top-5. By the 30 lap mark, Steve was just 1.5 seconds behind Rusty Wallace -- running faster than him. Park decreased the distance just a few laps later to half a second.

      It took a while to get in position to move forward, but on lap 47 Steve finally got under Rusty to take the position. Park set his sites on Jeff Gordon, however the first caution halted his forward climb. The yellow flag came out on lap 63 after Chad Little made contact with Dave Marcus, sending Marcus into the inside wall.

      All the drivers pitted under the yellow, and Steve returned to the track in 6th place. He moved back up to 5th within 3 laps of the restart on lap 69. He pursued Dale Jarrett, while holding off Jeff Burton, but caution was out again on lap 87 when debris was found in turn 3.

      Steve appeared to be in good position to run with the leaders the rest of the day. None of the leaders pitted, and he was it the top-5. He held his position after racing resumed, despite the lap traffic he had to contend with. However within 10 laps of the restart it was evident that he was struggling with the car. He was riding a much higher line than before, and by lap 103 Jeremy Mayfield passed him by. Several other drivers made the move around Park in the following laps. By lap 130 Steve was in 21st place, and one lap down.

      When the third caution came on lap 153, Park's hope for a career best finish was already dashed. Racing resumed on lap 160 with Steve in 19th after pitting. He fluctuated between 19th and 17th through the next round of pit stops, never able to make a strong run. After the green flag stops cycled through, he fell to 20th, now 2 laps down.

      None of the adjustments made were helping Park gain track position like he did at the start of the race. He managed to move up a couple positions within the first few laps. However, he fluctuated up and down until drivers started to make their final pit stops with less than 70 laps to go. Steve remained on the track, and for once this year the yellow flag was on his side.

      The fourth and final caution came out on lap 354 when Ricky Craven spun out. Since Park was still on the track, he was able to pit under the caution. More importantly, since many drivers in front of him had already pitted, Park would remain in front of many of them even after pitting. Park went down pit road in 7th place due to the shuffling of cars who had already made their stops -- returning to the track in 10th place, only one lap down.

      After racing two laps down, the entire crew was ecstatic to be in the top-10 again. Steve picked up one position in the final stages of the race by passing Kenny Irwin. This 9th place finish is the 2nd top-10 for Steve in the last 3 races, and his 7th top-20 in the last 8 races. He is in the top-10 for points earned in the 2nd half of the season, showing just how much of a difference the personnel changes have made.

      The twist of fate that allowed Steve to finish 9th, also helped him move him into the top-20 in the standings for the first time in his Winston Cup career. Only 79 points separate Park from 17th place, so he is definitely in striking distance of moving up again. Next weekend's race at Martinsville might just be the race to shake up the point standings. Steve has not finished well there in the past, however with this team's new found energy this should be his best performance there ever.

"I don't know whether we were lucky or unlucky today. We had one of the best cars out there and then on that second run we were junk. But we were pretty decent the second half of the race and we kind of gambled on a lucky break and we got it."