NASCAR BGN Series MBNA 200 Preview: #3, Steve Park
17 September 1997
#3 Steve Park, ACDelco Chevrolet Monte Carlo
NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division
MBNA 200 Advance
Dover Downs International Speedway
PARK HOPES FOR MORE TOP FIVES IN FINAL FIVE
DOVER, DE - Rookie Steve Park has recorded four straight top-five finishes,
including two victories in his last four starts, and the 30-year-old driver
of the No. 3 ACDelco Monte Carlo realizes it'll take five more top fives in
the final five races of the season if he hopes to challenge for the series
championship.
Park and the ACDelco team will head to Dover Downs International Speedway for
Saturday's MBNA 200 NASCAR Busch Grand National race fresh off their third
victory of the season two weeks ago at Richmond.
The East Northport, N.Y., native has been rewriting the Busch Grand National
rookie record book in '97. He has won more races, more money, recorded more
top-five finishes and accumulated more points than any rookie in the history
of the series.
With five races remaining, Park has already clinched rookie of the year
honors, and he ranks third in the overall series standings. Park trails
defending series champion Randy LaJoie by 358 points and second-place Todd
Bodine by just 179 points.
Park, who drives for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. on the Busch Series, has signed to
drive for Earnhardt on the Winston Cup circuit next season. But he's got five
more starts with crew chief Tony Eury and the No. 3 ACDelco team in 1997, and
he hasn't given up on overtaking LaJoie and Bodine down the stretch.
"Mathematically, we're two races behind Randy LaJoie," Park said. "If Todd
Bodine and LaJoie drop out of a couple of races, and we can keep running in
the top five, we're going to gain some points quick. If you look at where we
were five races ago and how many points we've gained, we've still got a
chance.
"We're not point racing yet. We're just trying to finish in the top five and
would like to win another race before the year is out. I think we can do
that.
"If we can't win it, I'd like to finish second, and if I can't do that, I'd
like to hold on to third. It's not a three-car race. The guys behind us are
pretty close. We've got to be careful. They could sneak up behind us.
Hopefully we'll be within 50 points of the lead in the last two races, and we
can have a run for the championship."
Park recorded one of his top five finishes in May at Dover. He finished fifth
in that race and learned a lot about the high-banked white concrete at the
Monster Mile.
"We had a good run at Dover the first time out, and I hope we can go back and
have another good run Saturday," Park said. "LaJoie and Bodine are always
good there, so we've got our work cut out for us, but we're going there to
try to win.
"Our goals have changed a little bit since the first of the season. When we
set our goals at the beginning of the year, I said I'd like to win one race.
If you can come into the Busch series as a rookie and win a race, you're
accomplishing something. I've watched on TV for years and some guys run five
or six seasons before they win.
"It's a competitive series, and with guys like LaJoie and Mark Martin who win
five or six races a year, that doesn't leave many scraps for many other guys.
To have a rookie win one is an honor, never mind three. It's been a great
year.
"Tony (crew chief Eury) can be a little hard-headed at times and so can I. We
all seem to have the same goal in mind, and that's to win races. After I
gained his respect and his trust, things just got easier. He had the
confidence in me, if I needed something in the car, that we can work together
as a team.
"Dale (Earnhardt) has taught me to be patient. It paid off at Richmond. We
ran a real patient race, and we let it all hang out when it counted and ended
up in victory lane. We'll try to do that again this week at Dover."
A top-10 finish in this week's race would give Park another Busch rookie
record for top 10 finishes in a season. He currently shares that mark with
Kenny Wallace. They each have 16.
Park has led 12 of 25 races in '97 and ranks fifth in most miles led with
399.122. He ranks fourth in laps led with 426, and he's tied for third with
Elliott Sadler for number of wins with three. Martin and LaJoie have won five
each.
Park's victories came at Nashville, Michigan and Richmond, and he has three
runner-up finishes at Talladega, Loudon and Bristol. Although Park's
experience is mostly on the short tracks, he says he enjoys racing
everywhere.
"I haven't found one I don't like yet," Park said. "Each track seems to bring
on new challenges. We've been welcoming all the new challenges and just
trying to get our learning curve up to speed."
By Champion Sports Group
