NASCAR WCUP: Steve Park Interview: Making gains for raceday

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

August 19, 2001

Steve Park, No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet Monte Carlo - was 4th fast in Happy Hour session #1: "We're decent; we're just tight. I think everybody's fighting (being) tight. We're just continuing to work on what we need to get this Chevrolet to turn real good. We've made some gains on it. Yesterday, we started off in one direction, but with about a half-hour left of practice, we decided that wasn't going to work and had to shift gears and go into something we'd run here before. So, it didn't surprise me that qualifying didn't go that well (starts 27th). But we've got a good racecar."

(Will the additional Happy Hour session after the Busch race help you?) "We've always had this much practice, it just used to be on top of each other. So now they're going to have it after the Busch race. I'm in agreement that we need time in between one practice and another because we can all think about what we need to do to get ready for the final practice. Guys switch motors out and stuff. But after the Busch race? That just keeps us here all day again. So I have mixed reviews on that. But after the Busch race, I think the track will be closer to what it's going to be on Sunday."

(Do you see a difference in the Dodges so far this weekend?) "I think the rule change at Indy didn't show up as helpful for them because it got sprung on them at the last minute and they didn't have a change to go to the wind tunnel and test. Just adding two inches, kicking it out two inches after they got done testing, might have thrown them a little bit of a curve ball. Now they've all had time to be in the wind tunnel and see what that will actually do to their cars and then help balance the rest of it out. But without a doubt, Michigan is a place where a two-inch kickout is going to be an advantage. Typically this has been a Ford track and now the Dodges are just Fords with a two-inch kickout. So now they're even better than the Fords. I hate to think that it's putting us at a disadvantage. But by giving them an aero advantage like that is definitely going to make us work harder to try to win the race. They've got to have a whole package -- you need to have a good race team behind you. It's not going to be easy for them, but every bit definitely helps. If they're close to the front toward the end of the race, they're going to be hard to beat."

(What will you concentrate on the most to get a win on Sunday?) "Just getting out in front. At Indy, I really thought we had a car capable of winning the race. But we kind of stubbed our toe there at the end and got too far back to make a run for the win. We don't want to do the same thing here. We want to get through that last pit stop and be somewhere in the top five so we can go on and win this thing."

Text provided by Nancy Wager

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