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Steve entered into the 1998 Rookie of the year competition at the beginning of the season. However, his crash at Atlanta on March 6th temporarily halted those plans. Steve returned in the #1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo once again at the Brickyard 400. He was looking forward to resuming the roty competition, as he stated in the June 24th press release. Even though Steve missed a number of races, he was far from out of the running, since only the top 15 races for a driver count. There are bonus points awarded to the drivers throughout the year, so if Steve could have achieved a few top 10 finishes, he could have countered being in last place for the first two bonuses. See the 1998 ROTY standings below.
The four drivers entering into this years competition were formerly introduced on Wednesday, February 11th, at Daytona International Speedway. (pictured above) It was also announced there that Raybestos would take over the sponsorship of the award. (Raybestos sponsored the Busch series ROTY award for the last three years) The other three drivers, pictured L-R beside Steve, are: Kevin Lepage, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Jerry Nadeau.
Read what the rookies had to say about the first half of the season!!
The 1998 Rookie of the year competition was billed in February as being one of the tightest rookie competitions in years. Not since 1993 when Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, and Kenny Wallace were competing for ROTY honors has there been such an illustrious field. The mood certainly started to change when Steve was seriously injured in March, and then later in the year when Kevin Lepage and Jerry Nadeau lost their rides. All 4 drivers were still in it at the end... but Kenny Irwin had the definite advantage of having a strong, consistent ride behind him, and being fortunate enough to run injury free. Steve had his hands full to get back to back honors, especially after the crash, or to match his #2 placing in 1996's BGNN series' roty race.
Kenny Irwin, Jr. finished his first Winston Cup run on September 6, 1997 in a very respectable 8th (after qualifying 2nd), and ran well in other WC races last year. He made his debut in the famed Robert Yates #28 Havoline Ford in Suzuka, Japan last November. He also tested the fastest at Ford Testing sessions at Daytona in January. Kenny, you may remember, was the Craftsman Truck Series Rookie-of-the-year for 1997.
Jerry Nadeau ran a few races in 1997, coincidentally, in the #1 car. (Remember that Jackson used the #1 last year, and Jerry ran a few races in the R&L Carriers car between Morgan Shepard's two different times in the seat) He began the year racing for Bill Elliott's new second team, which he formed with Miami Dolphins' Dan Marino, however was released on July 15th. Since then he has found different rides, but nothing on a permanent basis as of yet. Most of the races have been in the #9 Cartoon Network Ford, where he and the team have found some great successes. Jerry started driving in 1980 in the BGNN division.
Everyone who watched Steve last year will recognize Kevin Lepage's name! Kevin drove in the BGN division for 4 years, and also brings great experience into the equation. He is also running in the Channel Lock car on the Busch circut this year. (note to fans... Kerry Earnhardt will be taking over the #40 Channel Lock ride next year on a full-time basis!) On June 27th Kevin was dropped from his ride in the #91 car, after singing a deal with Roush Racing for 1999. Kevin took over the #16 Primestar Ford on August 16th at Michigan, and has achieved his career best WC finish since switching teams.
Although all Steve Park fans loved his record breaking BGN year, 1998 will surely be exciting to watch!
"There's going to be night and day difference next season. I'm a rookie in the Busch series. I'm going to be an extreme rookie in the Winston Cup series. My comfort level in the Winston Cup car is pretty high. I think it's because I've run the modifieds that have the big horsepower. I didn't know if I was going to be comfortable in a Winston Cup car, but through testing and running at Watkins Glen I've been comfortable. It's going to be a big learning process. What I learn is going to be the stuff I've got to know for the next 30 years. You can be a Busch Grand National champion and go to Winston Cup and still have to relearn everything. We'll take our rookie season and learn and hopefully come back the year after and hopefully be a contender to run for the top 10 in the points and possibly the championship." - September 1997
Nadeau, Park, and Irwin at Las Vegas
Irwin and Nadeau at Pocono
"Ned, who is your top pick for the 1998 rookie of the year award?" NED JARRETT at 1:15pm ET
In a NASCAR Online chat session featuring Ned Jarrett, (1-16-98) he was asked the following question:
"It appears as if we are going to have one of the best rookie crops we've had in quite a while in NASCAR Winston Cup racing. I think I would lean a little toward Steve Park, who will be driving Earnhardt's car. Even though it is their first full year of operation with that car and that team, I believe they will put the type of equipment under Steve that he will need to do well, so I think he would be my pick going in."
1998 WC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
Car #
Sponsor & Make
Points
# of eligible races
28
Havoline Ford
Kenny Irwin Jr.
252
15
16
Primestar Ford
Kevin LePage
239
15
9
Cartoon Network Ford
Jerry Nadeau
228
15
1
Pennzoil Chevy
Steve Park
203
15
Points as awarded in each race.
Race
Steve
Park #1Jerry
Nadeau #9Kenny
Irwin Jr. #28Kevin
Lepage #16
Daytona
9
10 111
8 1
Rockingham
9
10 111
dnq
Las Vegas
dnq
dnq
10 111
Atlanta
injured
9 117
10 1
Darlington
11
9 110
Bristol
10 19 111
Texas
dnq
10 111
Martinsville
10 111
9 1
Talledega
10
9 111
California Speedway
10
11
9 1
Bonus after 10 races
7
8
10
9
Charlotte
10
dnq
11
Dover
dnq
10 111
Richmond
10
13
dnq
Michigan
10
11
9 1
Pocono
9 111
10
Sears Point
10
13
(released) dnq
Louden
11
10 1
Pocono
10
11
Indianapolis
10
11
9 1
Watkins Glen
10
11
9 1
Bonus after 20 races
7
9
10
8
Michigan
11
8 110 19 1
Bristol
8 19 110 112
Louden
8 19 111
10
Darlington
11
10
8 19 1
Richmond
9
10
12
8 1
Dover
11
9 18 110
Martinsville
10
8 19 111
Charlotte
8
9 110 116
Talladega
10
9 18 111
Daytona
9
11
10
8 1
Phoenix
10
9 18 111
Bonus after 31 races
8
7
9
10
Rockingham
9
11
10
8 1
Atlanta
10
8 111
9 1
Final Bonus
33
33
32
34
Eliminated race scores will have a line through the numbers. (example: 10)
Drivers are still awarded the 1 point for qualifying.
EXPLANATION OF POINTS AWARDED
- One point awarded to make the race (not awarded if qualifying is rained out) awarded every week
- 10 pts to highest finishing rookie, 9 for the next highest, down to 1 point for the tenth finishing rookie only top 15 finishes count
- Any top 10 finish by a rookie is awarded specific points based on finish; 10 for first, 9 for second, down to 1 for a tenth place finish
- Bonus points are awarded three times during a season. After the 10th, 20th and final race of the season as follows: 10pts to the highest rookie in the current WC points down to 1pt for the 10th highest
- there are also discretionary points which are not explained and I have no idea how they decide these.
Explanation from NASCAR Online:
"The Rookie of the Year is given to the first-year driver who earns the most points based on their finishes in relation to one another. Points are based on each driver's best 15 finishes. Bonus points are awarded for top-10 finishes and standings in the NASCAR Winston Cup points at various times during the season. Points also are awarded on a subjective basis in various areas from a special rookie panel at the end of the season. The winner is awarded $25,000."
1998 Winston Cup Page
1998 Winston Cup Statistics
1998 Winston Cup Schedule
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