---

NASCAR BGN: Steve Park: Confidence Means A Lot At Darlington

30 August 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

If Darlington is all about the driver and driving is all about confidence then #31 Whelen Monte Carlo driver Steve Park is a good bet for Saturday's Dura Lube 200 Busch Series race at the "track too tough to tame." Park earned his first career win in Winston Cup at Watkins Glen on Aug. 13 then backed that up with a fifth-place finish at Bristol Saturday night. His Marsh Racing teammates prepared the car that Andy Santerre drove to victory at Watkins Glen in the Busch North race the weekend Park won. It was Marsh Racing sixth career BGNN victory. Now Park and Marsh are ready to join again in the Busch Series where they nearly won at New Hampshire and Richmond this year.

Confidence:

"I don't think there is any way you can put a value on confidence. I guess to explain it, imagine if you just sank a long putt in golf. The next time you line up the same putt, in the back of your head you are saying to yourself 'hey I have done this before.' As a race car driver I don't think I have ever lacked confidence but after the last few weeks its safe to say I've grown more confident. It's the difference in going from hoping to win a race to expecting to win a race. I never lost any confidence in my ability. But it beats you down having wins taken away because of mechanical failures, or something else. But a win picks everybody up. I know I am a winner, the Whelen guys know they are winners. We may win every time, but we know we can do it. And that confidence allows you to perform at a higher level."

Steve Park on Darlington

"Well I hope we are as good there this weekend as we were last time. We are bringing a new car so we should be even better. But Darlington is a tough place and if I remember right, those Roush cars were awfully tough there last time. Before we worry about the race we have to qualify. As I have said many times its no sin to miss a Busch race. Qualifying is tougher here than any other series in America and that includes Winston Cup. There is a certain amount of tradition at Darlington that goes way back and you want to do well there. Everyone wants to win a race at Darlington. If you win your name joins the list of everyone else who has won there and that's quite an honor.

"I think it's one of the toughest and most enjoyable races on the circuit. The way the groove is you have to run an inch off the wall. Sometimes you even have to lean on the wall. To keep your focus for one lap is pretty hard but to do it the whole race is really incredible. Obviously, it's a very physically and mentally challenging racetrack and usually, it's pretty tough on equipment. I've seen guys win there with big Darlington stripes down the side of their cars. You are pretty lucky if you can come out of there without a stripe, but most do. I don't care about stripes on the Whelen car as much as I do getting the checkers."

Text provided by Drew Brown

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.