Daytona 500 Gatorade Twin 125's DuraLube / Kmart 400

February 11 - 20, 2000

Disappointment mixed with accomplishment.
That's how Steve Park's third Daytona 500 came to pass.

The struggles all throughout Speedweeks put him near the rear of the pack, starting from 36th place. Shortly after the drop of the green flag Steve got caught up in the shuffle and dropped to 40th by lap 7. He passed Kyle Petty the following lap only to fall to his furthest back position of 42nd by the 10-lap mark.

From that point Park consistently began to make up ground on the field. He pulled up as high as 35th before slipping to 37th on lap 25. He quickly recovered and pulled into the top-30 for the first time of the race on lap 31. The first caution of the day came out on lap 33 after Jeff Gordon's car began to billow smoke. He was forced to pit the lap before, but the yellow flag was brought out to clean up the oil deposited on the track.

Everyone came down pit road under the caution, and the Pennzoil crew got Steve back onto the track in 27th place. Racing resumed on lap 36 and Park once again got caught in the Daytona Shuffle. By lap 48 a second pack of cars were separated from the lead pack by six seconds, and Steve ran amidst it in 31st. As his tires warmed up his car came around and he began to push forward. On lap 57 he drove past Robby Gordon, then three laps later he motored past Kenny Irwin. Park pulled in front of Matt Kenseth on lap 61 and the two hooked up to pull in front of Bobby Hamilton three laps later. Steve now led the second pack, however the distance to the front pack had grown to nearly 10 seconds.

Park worked hard to decrease the distance, pulling within 8 seconds after the 75-lap mark. A couple of drivers had to make early pit stops, but when scheduled pit stops began at lap 85 Steve had shortened the distance to just four seconds. He came down pit road on lap 90 and pulled out just as race leader Dale Jarrett pulled in on the following lap. The green flag pit stops concluded by lap 93 where Steve found himself in 24th place.

His stay in the top-25 was short lived, as the same drivers he passed earlier now passed him. His tires took a while to warm up, and he fell as far as 27th by lap 119. Steve fought hard to build up momentum, but he could not decrease the 46 second lead race leader Mark Martin held over him. On lap 131 Steve went down a lap as Martin and Jarrett went around. Steve pulled in behind Jarrett but fell further back the following lap. The caution Steve prayed for before making his last pit stop came out on lap 133 when Joe Nemechek blew his engine and spilled fluid on the track. Park came within a half car length of catching Martin, but remained a lap down. Scott Pruett and Elliott Saddler were able to get their lap back, which dropped Park to 29th place.

With the momentum Steve had as he took the yellow flag, he passed Martin and subsequently the pace car. He had to stop on the track while the leaders came down pit road and Park fell into his position. He pitted the following lap and another quick pit stop put Steve out fast enough to restart the race from the front of the inside line.

Martin got a quicker jump on the restart, and Steve fell back as the leaders fell in single-file. Park hooked up with his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a while, as Jr. had been running with the leaders all day. The draft gave Park the momentum to push past Kevin Lepage and pull up to 28th place on lap 147. Just three laps later his car overheated and began to billow steam out of the overflow to the right side of the car. Park came down pit road on lap 153 before the water escaping his car could hinder other drivers further, or cause his engine to blow up. The crew worked diligently to cool the Pennzoil Monte Carlo down, but could only pray it would make it the rest of the way.

Steve returned to the track 3 laps down, with only one other driver, Darrell Waltrip, on the same lap. The third yellow flag of the day came out on lap 156 - once again a little too late to keep Park from loosing laps. He still welcomed the caution as it gave the crew another opportunity to work on cooling down the Pennzoil car. Park restarted the race in 37th.

The cautions that eluded those who prayed for them early in the race to bunch up the field came in numbers in the later stages of the race. The fourth caution came out on lap 139 when Derrike Cope's engine let go. Steve had nothing to loose and everything to gain by making another trip down pit road. When the fifth caution came out on lap 192 Park ran in 34th place, simply due to other cars falling out of the race due to mechanical problems.

The yellow flag came out for the first incident involving more than one car. What would end up being the closest thing to "the big one" was relatively mild for Daytona. The Winston Cup drivers were spared the horrific crashes the other Nascar Series' saw this weekend. This incident started when Dale Earnhardt and Jimmy Spencer made contact, which forced Earnhardt to bounce off the outside wall and into Michael Waltrip. For the second time in as many days Waltrip spun around backwards. Fortunately he did not get airborne this time, but other cars were collected in the melee.

Racing resumed on lap 197 and Park pulled up to 31st place by making it through the incident. One final caution came out on lap 199 when Spencer's right front tire went down and he crashed hard into the outside wall. Dale Jarrett took the yellow and white flag and drove on to his third Daytona 500 victory.

The team's prayers were answered, and Steve completed his first ever Daytona 500. After finishing his first restrictor plate race at Talladega last October, Park's restrictor plate race hopes are renewed. Due mainly to the attrition rate of the other drivers, Steve finished the 2000 Daytona 500 in 31st - a career-high finish at this track.

Next weekend Winston Cup racing heads to North Carolina Speedway for the Dura-Lube/Kmart 400. The entire Chevy camp has been looking forward to getting to The Rock with their poor performance here at Daytona. Watch for Steve to make a big jump in the point standings over the next few weeks.

Read my detailed reports on the Daytona 500 page at steve-park.com.


Gatorade Twin 125's
Ever since the field for the Twin 125s was set on Saturday, everyone has been talking about the stellar lineup for the first of the two races. With all of the active Champions pitted against one another, it certainly seemed to be the race to watch on Thursday. The competition of the second race seemed to be fairly even except for Ricky Rudd who had half the career wins of the field. It could have quite well turned out to be the "Race of Non-Champions" that sleeper race. Instead, they both turned out to be snoozers.

What the races lacked in excitement, they more than made up for in safety. Very few drivers chose to make a second qualifying run this year - a decision heavily influenced by the winds blowing that day. One of the biggest reasons teams often make a second run to pick up speed, despite starting further back in the Twin 125 race, is the fear of getting caught up in a wreck and having to rely on their qualifying speed to make the Daytona 500. This year both races went caution free so avoiding a wreck was never an issue. Additionally, every driver was still running at the conclusion of each race. That's more than can be said for some of the practice sessions of Speedweeks 2000.

The only lead change of the afternoon came in the first race when Bill Elliott passed pole-sitter Dale Jarrett on the first lap. All but 4 drivers finished the race on the lead lap. The best finishing position by a Chevy driver was Jeff Gordon's sixth place finish. Dale Earnhardt's 11th place finish was the next best showing by a Monte Carlo. The 2K Taurus continued to dominate at Daytona.

If it's possible, the second race was even less eventful. Ricky Rudd led every lap and only one driver did not finish on the lead lap. Steve got off to a slow start with the drop of the green flag and was unable to suck in and stay in the draft with Dale Jr. who started in front of him. He was able to stay in the top-15 for the first half of the race, but once he started slipping back he couldn't reach the front again. Meanwhile Dale Jr. remained up front to bring home a 4th place finish. He was one of three Chevy drivers who finished in the top-5, and 4 out of the 5 were GM cars. Mike Skinner's second place finish gives him the highest Chevy starting position in the Daytona 500.

Park's 22nd place finish was not high enough to earn a transfer position. He did, however, make the field on his qualifying speed - the last driver to do so. Steve will start the Daytona 500 on the outside of row 18 from the 36th position.

The biggest news Thursday surrounded broken streaks. Dale Earnhardt's streak of 10 consecutive Gatorade Twin 125 wins was snapped this year. Earnhardt still hold the record - one which may never be broken. Additionally, Dave Marcus' perfect record of Daytona 500 starts came to an end with the turn of the Century. Marcus has made every Daytona 500 he has entered until this year. A record that goes back to 1967.

The Chevy teams were open in expressing their displeasure with the way their new model handled. The consensus complaint was that the cars pushed on the track making passing nearly impossible. Earnhardt stated he felt that racing at Daytona had been ruined. Although it doesn't helps his Winston Cup effort, Big E's spirits were lifted Friday with a win in the first IROC event of the 2000 season.

February 25 - 27, 2000

Friday morning was the first chance for the Pennzoil Team to test their qualifying package for Rockingham. The times cannot be directly compared to what will be seen later in qualifying as drivers did not run clean laps. Steve posted his best time of the session early on with a lap time of 23.913 (153.105 mph). Park ran a total of 18 laps, and ended up with the 31st fastest lap.

The team hit the ground running when they hit the track during the second practice session. Steve clocked a lap of 23.562 (155.385 mph) in his first two laps. It was the 3rd fastest at the time, and through the rest of the 40 minute session it only fell to sixth fastest overall. He is on track for a great qualifying performance.

Steve proved his run during the second practice session was no fluke. His strong qualifying lap time of 23.508 (155.743 mph) put him in 5th place. Although he knew it would drop, the probability of a top-25 starting position was high. Following his run Steve commented, "We're real proud of the Pennzoil car, we went a little faster than in practice so we're happy." Park's time fell to 18 when all was said and done, but he made the field on the first day!

Saturday's Happy Hour practice session was further proof of how well he's running at The Rock. During his first laps around the track he turned his fastest time of 24.327 (150.499 mph). It was the 12th fastest lap, and remained so for the remainder of the session. Park is ready to prove Sunday just why he's been named one of the drivers to watch in 2000!

At a racetrack like Rockingham, experience makes the difference. Steve's results here in the past have not been spectacular, although his 15th place finish here last fall showed improvement. Perhaps having run one extra race here, prior to his rookie season, made a difference.

With a determination to turn the top-15 finishes of last season into top-5s and top-10s, Park rolled into Rockingham ready to erase the disappointment of Daytona. Nothing could rain on Steve's parade -- not even the showers that passed over the track Sunday morning. There was enough time to dry the track and the Dura Lube/Kmart 400 started on time.

Steve knew he had a good car - a top-5 car in his opinion. That knowledge gave him the confidence to push on through the pack from the drop of the green flag. Within the first 3 laps Park moved into the top-15. Three laps later he pulled up to 13th place by passing John Andretti and Ward Burton. Steve pulled in behind Kyle Petty but was running much faster and passed him as well within the next couple of laps.

On lap 14 Park pulled ahead of Mike Skinner while running 6.3 seconds behind race leader Rusty Wallace. He then reeled in Joe Nemechek two laps later to move into the top-10. Steve put both Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind him on lap 18. Park decreased his distance back from the lead to just 5.1 seconds. Meanwhile he was pulling in toward rookie Matt Kenseth, but before he could move in for the pass, the first yellow flag of the race flew.

Kenny Irwin got loose and he and Robbie Gordon made contact, which spun Gordon toward the infield. The caution gave everyone a chance to make a pit stop. Although tire management is a critical issue at The Rock, for some reason the top-20 drivers chose not to take advantage of the caution to change tires.

Park finally got his chance to move past Kenseth on lap 25 and then passed Ricky Rudd five laps later. Within three laps Steve lost the ground he had gained when both Jeff Burton and Bobby Hamilton motored past him. On lap 41 Mark Martin moved past him as well, then Park slipped to 10th place again on lap 44. He ran closely behind Dale Earnhardt and on lap 48 he made the move on the inside to pass him. Earnhardt moved in tight and got a wiggle out of the #1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo, however Steve held strong.

At the 50-lap mark Steve ran a half-second behind Jeff Gordon, but it only took three laps to make the move around him for 8th place. Dale Jarrett moved up through traffic and around Park on lap 56. Steve looked strong running through traffic as he hooked up behind Bobby Labonte. On lap 64 Steve passed Labonte but five laps later Ken Schrader dropped Park to 9th place again. He held the position through lap 80 when Ted Musgrave, substituting for the injured Geoffrey Bodine, passed Park.

Pitting had begun under the green flag, and Park made his stop on lap 84. His tires were certainly going away on him as he fell to 14th when he came down pit road. As things cycled through at lap 87 he sat in 32nd place. He gradually moved up as drivers shuffled around and settled in through the drawn out pit stops, running in 17th at the 100-lap point. Just five laps later the 2nd caution of the race came out due to smoke from Dave Marcus' car and debris on the track. It was discovered that he had a hole in his radiator. Most of the drivers took the opportunity to pit again for fresh tires under the caution.

Racing resumed on lap 110 only to be stalled again two laps later. Darrell Waltrip began backsliding on the restart, and a chain reaction of slowing cars created the incident that sent Jerry Nadeau spinning. Steve picked up a position under the caution when Kevin Lepage dropped off to make another pit stop.

Johnny Benson moved past Park two laps after the restart on lap 116 but the #1 Pennzoil Chevy picked up speed as the laps went by. Steve rose to 16th on lap 124 when Ted Musgrave slipped back and he reached the top-15 again on lap 129 by passing by Benson. On lap 134 Steve gained another position one lap before Jeff Gordon was forced to pit early. That moved Steve up to 13th by lap 136 and the following lap he gained another position when Hamilton dropped off the track with ignition problems. Park continued to move forward as he passed Jeremy Mayfield on lap 139.

From there Park set his sites on the top-10. He ran a half a second behind Terry Labonte and was able to move past him within 5 laps. Tony Stewart was 1.1 seconds ahead of him, but Stewart passed Dale Jarrett before Park could reach him. On lap 156 Park moved past Jarrett and once again went after Stewart who was now 1.3 second ahead. Steve lost ground on Stewart over the next several laps before his speed picked up enough to hold his ground. Once he started making up the ground, Park moved past Stewart on lap 179.

Many of the cars has started to make their next round of pit stops but the leaders held on as long as they could for fear of another caution. Park assumed the lead on lap 182 as the leaders made their pit stops. It was the first lap he has led at Rockingham. He pulled onto pit lane the following lap after earning his 5 bonus points. The crew made no chassis adjustment and removed one of the layers from his windshield. They were slow on the front right side tire and it took 21.1 seconds to get Steve back on the track. Park entered the track behind leader Jeff Gordon, but pulled around him before Jeff Fuller hit the outside wall to bring out the 4th caution.

The caution dropped much of the field down a lap and gave several leaders a chance to make another quick pit stop. Park remained on the track to take over the race lead; having pitted just 4 laps before the yellow flag came out. Racing resumed on lap 199 and Steve topped the speed chart. Although Gordon made an attempt to get around him, Steve held him off and pulled away to over a 3-second lead by lap 215. He led the race at halfway, however the Gatorade award now goes to the driver who leads the most laps instead of the halfway leader. Once Gordon shook off the competition around him, he decreased Park's lead to just .2 seconds by lap 218. Gordon pushed in on the inside as Steve fought hard to hold him off. Steve had led for another 31 laps when Gordon dropped him to 2nd place on lap 220.

The traffic behind Park quickly approached and Jeff Burton pulled in underneath him the following lap. Ward Burton followed behind his brother to drop Steve to 4th by lap 224. Bobby Labonte pulled in and dropped Park to 5th the following lap, and Sterling Marlin motored by two laps later. By lap 233 Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt all moved around Park as well. He struggled to hod his position, but fell to 10th when Jarrett passed him on lap 246. He slowly continued to loose ground, and fell as far as 13th on lap 256.

By then drivers were starting to make their next round of pit stops which pushed Steve further up. As Park pulled down pit lane on lap 266 he took the lead when he crossed the stripe for a total of 33 laps led. The 21.8-second pit stop put him back on the track in 14th place as the last car still on the lead lap. Steve pulled up to 13th place on lap 283 by passing Benson before race leader Bobby Labonte put Benson down a lap.

Park ran fast enough to remain on the lead lap, but at the 300-lap mark he was a full 9 seconds behind Ricky Rudd who ran in front of him. Steve had the fastest car on the track for several laps but could not make up the distance before pit stops were made again. He made his stop on lap 330 and fell into 14th place, behind Benson again, on lap 331. As he got up to speed the following lap, Steve drove past both Benson and Marlin to climb to 12th. Two laps later he pushed past Jeff Burton but Bobby Labonte was right on his tail.

Steve continued to fight hard to stay on the lead lap, usually running faster times than Labonte. Lapped traffic held Labonte off for a while, but by lap 357 the two ran door to door. Park could no longer hold off Labonte as he put him a lap down on lap 358. Park pulled up to the top-10 the following lap as Rusty Wallace dropped back through the pack. Steve remained the last car one lap down as Labonte continued to put all but 4 cars down a lap. With just 10 laps to go Park moved past Jeff Gordon to move up to 9th place. He continued to gain ground on Mark Martin, but could not make the pass before the checkers flew.

Park said after the race that the guys in the shop gave him an awesome car all weekend and that, "I thought we had a top-5 car today but we didn't have circumstances to get us in there." He admitted that it is definitely a confidence builder to have a top-10 finish in just the second race and it is something to build on. He also said the car is still fighting an aero push and since it has to be set up so mechanically loose to get it to turn that you end up too loose up off the corners. While they continue to fight a balance problem they do hope Chevrolet and Nascar can work through the issue. He is very pleased with the progress the team is making.

Steve's 9th place finish moves him up 11 spots to 20th place in the standings heading into Las Vegas next weekend. He is less than 50 points out of the top-10 and because it is so early in the season there will be a lot of shuffling throughout the standings over the first few weeks. Park ran in Las Vegas during his season in the Busch Series, but failed to make the race in his rookie year. The team will take their notes from last year, and Steve's previous experience, and turn it into another great weekend!